Lapis Lazuli: the Lost Mermaid
by Athena Quartz
Summary: Lapis Lazuli always knew that she was different from her adopted family and fellow denizens of Beach City, but she never understood why. However, a magical transformation reveals a shocking realization: she is a mermaid. Now, join Lapis on a thrilling adventure of self-discovery, friendship, family, and romance as she learns that all you need is love to find your way home.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: **This is a story I originally wrote on Wattpad, but I decided to do a justice and bring the story here for the readers of this site to enjoy. So just so you know, I did not steal this story.**

Chapter 1: A Difficult Sacrifice

Hidden beneath the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, there was a glorious kingdom of mermaids known as Iridesca and the mermaids that lived there were beautiful and kind. The kingdom was ruled by the benevolent queen Blue Diamond or Hope as everyone called her. Alongside her was her younger sister Princess Pink Diamond who was equally kind-hearted and very fun-loving. One day, Iridesca celebrated a momentous occasion for Queen Hope had blessed the kingdom with the birth of her new daughter which she called Lapis Lazuli. The mer baby had sky blue skin, ocean blue hair, royal blue eyes, and a glittery blue tail; a beautiful specimen of mermaid royalty.

Queen Hope cradled the baby princess lovingly in her arms and said in a soothing voice, "You are going to grow into a beautiful princess. Just remember to give love to those around you and they will give you love in return."

"Hello, little Lapis." Pink Diamond beamed as her sister handed the baby over to her. "I'm your auntie Pink. Oh, I can't wait to watch you grow up."

The two royal sisters embraced the newborn tenderly as the crowd of royal subjects rejoiced for the expansion of the royal family.

Over the next two years, Lapis had already learned to swim on her own and was an energetic bundle of joy. She quickly became one of the most beloved figures in all of Iridesca. When Queen Hope was too hung up with royal responsibilities to spend time with her daughter, Princess Pink Diamond would help take care of her niece. The two enjoyed swimming around the castle, playing tag or hide-and-seek. The younger princess' laughter was absolutely infectious.

Everything was peaceful and happy for the royal family, until one day. The mermaids of Iridesca were greeted by a ominous, tentacled figure approaching the royal palace. They were murmuring to one another, fearing the worst. Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond rushed forward to confront the ill-boding invader with Lapis held protectively in her mother's arms. The masculine stranger had a beefy upper body of light orange skin with darker orange stripes. He also had wild, white hair and sinister looking, bright yellow eyes that glinted with malice. His lower body was a net of eight muscular, scarlet tentacles.

"Greetings, Your Majesties." The stranger said in a sly, husky voice as he bowed to the royals.

"Who are you?" Queen Hope asked as she continued to hold her baby.

"The name is Jasper." the newcomer introduced himself. "I'm sure you've heard of my mother, Malachite."

"The sea witch?" Pink Diamond questioned. "But, she was banished years ago. We had no idea that she of all creatures would bear a son."

"Never mind that, sister." the queen said to her. "Tell me, why are you here?"

"Simple." Jasper stated. "I'm here to pick one of your beautiful mermaids to be my bride. But, it's not any of your subjects that I'm interested in. No, the mermaid I choose... is her." He pointed at the infant princess cradled in the queen's arms.

"What?" Queen Hope spoke in shock.

"But, Lapis is far too young to marry." Princess Pink Diamond insisted as she blocked Lapis from the suitor's view.

"That is why I will take her to my mother, so that she will raise her until she comes of age." Jasper explained. "Soon, I rule this ocean with her as my queen."

The sea witch's son grabbed Lapis with one of his tentacles and pulled her away from her mother. The baby cried from the immediate separation anxiety. The queen's guards arrived to seize Jasper and Princess Pink Diamond withdrew the mer baby from his grasp.

"Guards, please try to hold him off as long as you can." she urged the guards as she and her sister swam away with Lapis as far away from the kingdom as possible.

However, with the dark magic that the sea witch's son possessed; it wouldn't take long for him to give chase to the royals. A while later, the sisters found a cave to hide in and catch their breath.

"What are we going to do, Hope?" the older princess asked in a panic.

The mermaid queen looked down at her baby with a solemn look on her face and said, "We have to hide her in a place where Jasper will never find her."

"But we can't hide her somewhere in the ocean randomly." the older princess protested. "Jasper will eventually find her."

"We're not hiding her in the ocean." Queen Hope told her sister. "We're sending her to live on the surface. It's the last place Malachite and Jasper will ever think to look."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the surface world; there was a small, beachside town called Beach City. A kind man named Greg Universe lived there with his infant son, Steven. The two of them were out for a walk on the beach when all of a sudden, Steven saw something. He reached his chubby, little hand out to a speck in the distance.

"What is it, schtew-ball?" Greg asked his son.

He made his way over to the speck and discovered that it was a creamy clam shell with a sleeping baby girl inside wrapped in a deep, dark blue blanket. She had a sky blue complexion and blue hair. There was something about this child that was utterly beautiful to Greg. He delicately picked up the girl while holding Steven at the same time.

"Well, where did you come from, sweetie?" the man asked as Steven giggled softly as if he immediately liked the blue baby already.

"Please take care of my little Lapis Lazuli." said a sorrowful, soothing voice. "Raise her to be a kind and loving child."

Greg turned to find a beautiful blue woman floating in the water with a smaller pink woman floating alongside her. The two of them looked sadly at the blue baby girl one last time before diving back into the ocean, revealing their shimmering tails. Greg couldn't believe his eyes. Those women were mermaids! And even though a pair of human legs had now replaced her tail, he knew that Lapis was a mermaid too. Looking at the blue child, he silently vowed to take care of her as much as he took care of Steven.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Growing Up Magical

Fourteen years had passed since Greg had adopted Lapis. Over the years, she noticed that there were attributes that made her stand out (aside from her appearance). Even though she felt different among the other townsfolk of Beach City, her adopted father along with his son, Steven accepted her no matter what.

It was early morning in Beach City and Lapis (who was now fifteen years old) was snuggly asleep in bed, only to be awoken by the ticklish sunbeams shining on her face. She jumped out of bed with an upbeat start, quickly got dressed, and rushed downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, Dad." she greeted her adopted family. "Morning, Steven."

"You know, sweetheart." Greg said. "Next week is a very big day for you."

"Really?" Lapis asked, pretending to be clueless. "Why is that?"

"Because it's your birthday." her father answered.

"Already?" the teenage girl inquired, faking her surprised reaction. "Wow, a year can really fly by."

The two of them shared a chuckle and then Greg continued, "Lapis, since you'll be sixteen soon; I think it's a good opportunity for us to talk about something that's been on my mind for awhile."

"What's that?" asked Lapis, genuinely curious.

"It's about when I adopted you." her adopted father answered before giving a snicker. "It seems like only yesterday you were just a baby when I found on the beach. You're growing up too fast for me to keep up. Anyway, what I want to talk to you about is-"

Suddenly, the doorbell sounded off, interrupting the conversation.

"Jamie's here." Lapis announced, making her way to the front door. "We can pick up where we left off when I get back."

"Wait." Greg called out, stopping her. "Before you go off with your friend, I wanna give you this."

He presented his adopted daughter a creamy shell locket with two blue capital L's on the clasp, hanging by a gold chain.

"What is it?" she asked as he handed the necklace to her.

"It was with you the day I found you." Greg explained. "I thought I'd wait until you were old enough for me to give it to you."

"Thank you." Lapis said, giving her father a quick hug before heading out the door. "See you later, Dad!"

* * *

Jamie had been a close friend of Lapis since they were little kids. He was one of the nicest guys in Beach City. Besides her dad and Steven, Jamie was the only person who accepted Lapis and felt comfortable confiding her secrets to.

"Why would your dad want to talk to you about your adoption?" Jamie asked as the two of them sat on the edge of the pier.

"I think it might have something to do with my weird abilities." answered Lapis as she looked across the horizon, longingly. Throughout her life, unusual things were always happening to Lapis.

Flashback:

_One night when she was six, she was taking a bubble bath and the water in the tub was sparkling and forming little fountains. Greg noticed this and immediately pulled his adopted daughter out of the tub. The water returned to normal as he wrapped Lapis in a fluffy towel._

_Then when she was nine, her third grade class went on a trip to the aquarium. There, she was caught talking to the sea creatures and understanding them perfectly. All the other kids laughed at Lapis and one of the stingrays splashed a couple of girls, defending her._

_And just last year, she was singing for Jamie in her beautiful voice and then the ocean began to swell and the sand curled into small spires._

And that was just to name a few incidents.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really human what with the capabilities I have." she vented to her closest friend.

"I don't care if you're human or not." Jamie assured her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be normal to be my friend."

"Thanks, Jamie." Lapis smiled. Then, she looked down at the necklace she held in her hands and thought, "_I wonder what this necklace means. What if it has something to do with my mother?_"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her necklace and pulled it away from her, pulling the blue girl out of her stupor. Lapis turned around and saw that a rude guy had stolen her necklace.

"Hey!" she cried as she got to her feet and jumped, trying to get the necklace back from the thief. "Give me back my necklace! It's really important to me."

"Oh, if you want your necklace so bad; then swim for it." said the rude guy as he tossed the necklace into the ocean. Much to Lapis's dismay.

"Hey!" Steven's voice sounded off.

"Back off!" a young girl's voice added.

Lapis saw her adopted brother and his best friend Connie Maheswaran coming down the pier.

"Whatever." the obnoxious teenager scoffed, going on his way.

Suddenly, Jamie noticed that Lapis was preparing to take a running start for the edge of the pier.

"Uh, what do you think you're doing?" her friend asked with concern.

"Swimming for a necklace." Lapis answered, honestly.

"Lapis, that water is like 9 feet deep." said Connie. "It is way too dangerous."

"I don't care." the blue girl insisted. "I've got get that necklace back."

She got into a running start and jumped off the edge of the pier and dove into the ocean. Jamie, Steven, and Connie tried to stop her, but it was too late. That necklace was the only thing related to her origin that Lapis had and she had no intention on losing it.

"I'll go get Dad." Steven said, running off.

Meanwhile, Lapis swam to the best of her ability in order to retrieve her necklace. Even though she never took lessons, for some reason she picked up the skill quickly like second nature. As soon as Lapis got to the seafloor, she grabbed her necklace and placed it around her neck. But then, the necklace began to glow violently; blinding the blue girl. She was also caught in a blizzard of bubbles and sparkles, almost like being swept up in a shimmering whirlpool.

Once Lapis's vision went back into focus, she saw that she was no longer wearing her favorite sundress. Instead, she now had a navy blue one-shoulder top and she had a gold cuff-like bracelet on each wrist. And when she looked down, she saw that her legs were gone and that she now had a glittery blue tail.

"I'm a mermaid!?" Lapis gasped expecting to choke on the seawater.

But, she found that she could breathe and talk underwater as well as on land. Feeling giddy, Lapis swam back up to the surface at full speed to share her discovery with her friends.

"You guys!" the blue mermaid cried as emerged from underwater. "You're never gonna believe what just happened...to...me."

She looked at the edge of the pier and saw that along with Jamie, Steven, and Connie; her adopted father were looking at her with shocked expressions. She sank her head in the water until only her eyes were visible, feeling like she was in big trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Evil is Brewing

Meanwhile, in the dark depths of the southern Atlantic Ocean; a wicked being was sulking in the shadows. Jasper, the son of the sea witch Malachite had been moping over letting Queen Hope's daughter get away for about fourteen years. And during that time, he combed over the whole ocean in search of the lost princess; but to no avail. However, he never gave up as long as he kept the thought of Lapis being his queen in mind. He was so absolutely obsessed with the gorgeous little mermaid that he thought of her in his dreams and when he woke up.

Just then, his mother came to check on him. Malachite was the very sea witch that every mermaid feared so much that some mermaids were even afraid to speak her name. She had aqua green skin with dark teal stripes, light green eyes, pale green hair, and a net of eight muscular tentacles. She was just as monsterous-looking as her son (maybe even more) and her dark magic was worse than his.

"My son." the sea witch spoke. "Perhaps it's time consider finding a new mermaid to marry."

"Sorry, mother." Jasper replied. "But, I refuse to abandon my search for Lapis Lazuli."

"But, we've scoured the entire Atlantic Ocean for the last fourteen years and there's no sign of the young princess." Malachite argued. "I understand why you want her. The beauty of the other mermaids pales in comparison to that of Lapis Lazuli."

"I don't want to marry another mermaid, Mother." the male sea witch protested. "Lapis is the only mermaid who is as beautiful as me. I have no intention on suiting anyone else, except the princess. I'm going to find her and marry her, whether she likes it or not."

All of a sudden, a wave of energy and light pulsated through the water.

"What was that?" Malachite said, feeling the strange wave. "Did you feel that just now?"

"How could I not?" Jasper replied in distaste. "It was all warm and fuzzy. Ugh, disgusting."

"It was a wave of mermaid magic." The sea witch proclaimed. "And only one mermaid would have magic that intense. Princess Lapis Lazuli."

"Lapis Lazuli?" Jasper questioned, his interest peaked. "Alive? Impossible."

"Show me where Princess Lapis Lazuli is." Malachite said, softly as she used her magic to summon a bubble. Then, the bubble gleamed to reveal the blue, teenage mermaid clear as day.

"Just as I thought." the sea witch said, her eyes narrowing. "The princess is indeed alive."

"Wait, is she interacting with humans?" her son raised his voice, looking into the bubble and noticed the young mermaid conversing with four people. He was just appalled. "I can't believe a mermaid would go this low."

"It's almost as if she knows them." Malachite mumbled. "So this was the queen's plan all along: have her live on the surface world under the care of humans so that we couldn't track her through the water."

"Do you know what this means, Mother?" asked Jasper. "It means there's still a chance to make Lapis my bride and my queen."

"Not so fast, Jasper." the sea witch halted her son just before he swam off. "The princess is completely in awe of the fact that she's a mermaid. She has had human legs and been living among humans for so long, she doesn't seem to remember that she is a mermaid."

"Well, she was only a baby when I tried to claim her the first time." Jasper thought aloud. "Queen Hope must have used her magic to transform her."

"If the young princess has no recollection of her origins or her identity, then this will work to our advantage." Malachite told her son, schemingly. "The waters will be so unfamiliar to her that she will easily stumble into a trap. She'll be unwittingly playing into our hands."

"I like the sound of that." said Jasper, rubbing his hands together in an evil way. "But, what will come if Lapis happens upon others of her kind?"

"The other mermaids will only be a minor annoyance." Malachite assured him. "Lapis is the one we want."

"I won't let anybody come between me and Lapis Lazuli, not any mermaid or human!" Jasper interjected.

"As long as the princess ends up incarcerated, one way or another; you have nothing to be stressed about." his mother assured him before swimming away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my potions."

"The ocean to the kingdom of mermaids is riddled with perils and obstacles." the male sea witch said to himself with an evil glint in his eyes. "I'll just add a few more surprises with our clueless little princess."

He raised his hands and as they started to glow purplish-black, he chanted; "I summon all my dark powers to creates hazards unnumbered and trials unspoken of by mermaid lips! All with the purpose to hinder Princess Lapis Lazuli from her quest to return to the kingdom from where she was born! May the endangerments continue until the young princess is trapped and within my grasp! So swears Jasper, future king of the oceans!"

Jasper's dark magic pulsated through the water in an ominous cloud out the cave. Then, the male sea witch returned to the bubble that his mother made and continued to eye the beautiful mermaid he was in love with. All he had to do was wait for her to be captured and she would be his bride in no time.

"Soon, my little princess." He purred, evilly as he stared at the image of Lapis through the viewing bubble. "Your heart and the ocean will be mine!"

He cackled so wickedly, loudly, and full of lust that it echoed throughout the depths the dark sea.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Adventure Begins

Greg, Jamie, Steven, and Connie had helped Lapis out of the water and she was now sitting on the deck again with her tail swinging over the edge.

"Wow, Lapis." Connie said in amazement. "I had no idea that you were a mermaid."

"Honestly, I didn't know I was a mermaid either." Lapis confessed, truefully.

Just then, her locket glowed and in a swirl of magic, Lapis's legs reappeared and so did her sundress which appeared as if it never got wet.

"Hey Dad, isn't this the weirdest thing you've ever seen?" Steven asked his dad.

"I wouldn't say I'm a stranger to this." Greg said, chuckling nervously.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lapis asked, confused. "Dad, do you know something about this?"

"Yes, I do." her adopted father admitted, solemnly. "This was what I wanted to talk to you about this morning, Lapis."

"What?" the teenage girl asked, quickly getting to her feet. "What is it?"

"I think I should explain it back at the house." Greg said to the kids. "This is a story you're _all_ going to wanna hear."

* * *

Back at the house, Greg explained the story of how he found Lapis as a baby. He told that she was found swaddled and carried in a cream-colored clam shell that was washed in by the tide. Even though Steven was with him too, he was very young and the memory was too distant to remember. However, Lapis hung onto every word of the story.

"What do you mean I washed up on shore?" she questioned her father. "What was I doing floating in the ocean?"

"I have no idea, Lapis." said Greg. "All I know is that after I discovered you, I was face to face with a pair of pink and blue women. The blue one give me a heavyhearted look and asked me to love and care for you, so that's what I did. There was something about her, almost like she was sad and yet willing to give you up."

"Was she my birth mother?" Lapis asked, excitedly. "Did you know her?"

"Well, not exactly." Greg confessed. "I only saw for her a few seconds before she dove into the water and then she never came back. Just as she leaped into the sea, I saw that she and the other woman had glittering tails and I realized right then and there that your mother was a mermaid."

"Then what about this?" the teenage girl asked, holding out her necklace. "It was in the shell with you." her dad said. "One day, I opened it up and it played a special song that you really seemed to love. So whenever you were tired, I played that lullaby for you to help you fall asleep. Go on. Open it."

Lapis looked at the clasp on the locket with her initials on it. She clicked the locket and a sweet-sounding, soothing melody began to play and inside, there was a tiny mermaid figurine twirling around surrounded by orb-shaped crystals that looked like bubbles. Jamie, Steven, and Connie were enchanted by this incredible music box. Lapis was in tears like there was a great emptiness, a part of her life she felt like was missing from her memory. The song sounded so nostalgic.

"Why didn't you tell me that I was born as a mermaid?" Lapis sobbed, feeling upset that so much information was kept secret from her. "Why did you wait until now to tell me all this or give me this locket? Do you think I'm too weird to be your daughter?"

She left the living room and retreated up the stairs, crying.

"Lapis, wait!" Jamie cried, trying to get her to come back.

* * *

In her bedroom, Lapis was lying on her side in her bed, curled up in a ball while hugging her favorite dolphin stuffie and crying for about two minutes.

"Lapis?" Greg called, knocking on her daughter's bedroom door. "There's more I need to tell you. Can I come in?"

"If you must." Lapis croaked, her voice hoarse from crying. Her adopted dad opened the door and walked into his daughter's room and sat on her bed. He saw that her back was towards him, but he wasn't offended by it.

"Lapis, the reason I kept you in the dark about you being a mermaid and your mom was because you were far too young to know and you still couldn't control your powers." he explained.

"You knew I had special powers too?" the teenage girl asked, remaining motionless.

"Yeah." answered Greg. "It came with the whole mermaid package. Anyway, I wanted to wait until you were old enough to understand how special you really are. But, I don't think you're too weird to be my daughter."

"You don't?" Lapis inquired, unraveling from her ball and crawling over to her dad's side where he put his arm around his daughter's shoulder.

"Of course I don't." Greg assured her. "And you deserve to know everything about your birth mother and origins."

"I want to meet her!" Lapis blurted out.

"What?" said Greg.

"I want to find my birth mother and meet her in person." the blue girl told her dad.

"I understand, kiddo." Greg said. "But, the Atlantic Ocean is too big for one little mermaid to search by herself. That's why I'm going with you."

"We wanna come too!" Steven exclaimed, enthusiastically with Jamie and Connie alongside him. "I would go to the ends of the earth to help my sister."

"There's nothing I cherish more than a thrill chasing, seafaring adventure." said Jamie.

"And you're going to need someone with navigation and survival know-how." Connie added.

"Thanks, guys." Lapis said, giving the trio a smile before turning to her dad. "So, what do you think, Dad? Can we go, please?"

After thinking about it, Greg finally proclaimed, "Okay. Let's do it!" The kids cheered excitedly.

* * *

The next day, the kids all met at the ship docks to prepare for the adventure at sea. Jamie and Connie had already bid their families goodbye before heading out. There were packed backpacks for everybody, a good food supply, camping materials, and a charted map of the ocean.

"Looks like we're all set." Connie confirmed.

"Too bad we don't have a boat though." Jamie told the group.

"Did I hear somebody say they need a boat?" Greg asked, showing the kids a cruise-like ferry boat with a midnight blue hull. "May I present the S.S. Mermaid's Cradle!"

"Dad, this is amazing!" said Steven in awe.

"Yeah, how do you afford this?" asked Lapis. "I know a guy in Jersey who was looking to give this baby up for a reasonable price." the grown-up explained. "All aboard!"

After getting the kids and the necessities onto the ship, Greg started the boat's engine. "Are you guys ready for the ship's maiden voyage?" he asked.

"Aye, sir!" the four kids said in unison.

"Then, anchors away!" the captain hollered, confidently as the ship left the dock and headed out to sea.

Lapis looked out over the crystal waters and thought, "_I'll see you soon, Mom... I promise_."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: New Friends

The S.S. Mermaid's Cradle continued across the sea with Greg at the wheel and the kids looking out over the water. Lapis was singing a song for her friends and brother. They hung on to every chord that was carried in her beautiful voice.

All of a sudden, the group of four saw seven shapeless dark blobs swimming under the water's surface closing in on the ship.

"What's wrong, Lapis?" Steven asked his sister who had taken high interest in the odd blobs.

"I think I know what those are." Lapis said, leaping into the ocean with a splash. In a flash of light, she transformed back into a mermaid. Under the sea, Lapis was amazed to find herself face to face with seven other mermaids.

One mermaid looked like she was about Steven's age. She had light purple skin, long pale lilac-colored hair, and deep indigo eyes. She wore a white top and had a sparkly purple tail.

The mermaid floating next to the purple mermaid looked around eighteen years old. She had peach-colored hair in a pixie cut with beads in it, sky blue eyes, ivory-colored skin, a light blue top with short poofy sleeves, and a glitzy sea green tail.

One short mermaid had long ice blue hair with bangs that hid her eyes, light blue skin, a deep blue top with ruffled tulle sleeves that sagged down to her arms, and a shiny navy blue tail.

One skittish mermaid had a light red complexion, poofy blackish-mauve hair, dark maroon eyes, a dark purple top with pink tulle, and a flashy maroon tail. She looked around twenty years old.

The mermaid on her left had a chubby build and looked around seventeen years old. She had dark creamy brown skin with peach freckles, dark brown curly hair, black eyes, a coral-colored feathery top, and a glinting mauve tail.

One mermaid was fifteen years old like Lapis, but only three months younger. She had lime-green skin, green eyes, straw-colored hair, a forest green top with elbow-length sleeves, and a shimmering green tail.

The eldest mermaid was no older than twenty-three years old. She had baby blue eyes, off-white hair that was tied up in a ponytail, periwinkle skin, an emerald green wrap top, and a radiant turquoise tail.

"See, I told you there'd be another mermaid around here." the purple mermaid told the other six.

"But, Amethyst." the pale mermaid scolded at her. "You should know better than to go up to a human ship."

"I never thought I'd meet others of my kind." Lapis said in fascination. "What are you doing here?"

"We came around this area because we heard a mermaid singing and thought she might be lost." the short blue mermaid explained.

"Oh, that was me." the inexperienced mermaid admitted, smiling. "My name is Lapis Lazuli."

"Nice to meet you, Lapis." said the purple mermaid. "As already know, I'm Amethyst. This is Pearl, Sapphire, Rhodonite, Smoky Quartz, Peridot, and Opal.

"Wait." Peridot blurted out. "If you're a mermaid, how come you had legs just now?"

"I have the ability to change back and forth from a mermaid into a human." Lapis explained.

"No mermaid can change their form on their own." Opal told her. "You need another mermaid's magic to do that."

"Well, when I was a baby, my mom turned me into a human so that could be adopted into a human family." the blue teenage mermaid replied. "She gave me this locket and I use it to transform into a mermaid when I'm in water."

"So who are the humans on that ship?" asked Sapphire.

"They're my friends and family." Lapis answered. "I've lived with them for over fourteen years."

"A mermaid adopted by humans?" Peridot muttered to herself. "I've heard stories about a mermaid who gave up her baby to humans to protect her from a dangerous villain. _You_ were that baby."

"Wait, protect me from what villian?" questioned Lapis, her hopes raising. "And did any of you know my mom? I'm trying to find her and reunite with her."

"Most of us are too young to remember the event clearly, so we don't know your mother." Smoky Quartz told her with a heavy heart. "Sorry."

A sad expression spread across the ocean blue mermaid's face.

"But, we might know where she could be: the mermaid kingdom of Iridesca." Rhodonite brought up.

"I don't exactly know how to get there." Lapis confessed.

"Lapis?" she heard Jamie's voice through the water. Lapis swam back up to the surface and looked up at the ship.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Greg asked with concern, Steven, Connie, and Jamie accompanying him. "You were underwater for a long time."

"I'm okay, Dad." her adopted daughter assured him. "I just found some other mermaids."

The seven other mermaids popped their heads up from the surface of the water to reveal themselves. They seemed nervous at first, but then warmed up to the humans' presence. The humans were amazed by the sight of others of Lapis's kind.

"They said they know where my mom is." Lapis continued with high hopes.

"She might be in Iridesca, the kingdom where mermaids of this ocean reside." Opal explained. "But, Lapis doesn't know where it is."

"That's really weird." Amethyst commented. "Most mermaids know the way back to Iridesca like second nature. It really _has_ been a long time since she was in the ocean." The blue teenage mermaid blushed at the comment.

"If you all know the way to Iridesca, can you help us get there, please?" pleaded Lapis.

"We can help you, but we know of something else that could help too." Sapphire said to her. "A long time ago, the queen of Iridesca created a magical compass to help astray mermaids get back to the kingdom. It's hidden in an old sunken ship just northeast of here."

"Then, let's go to the shipwreck and find that compass!" Lapis announced, confidently as the seven mermaids swam off. "Come on, everyone. Let's head northeast!"

She swam off to catch up with the other mermaids as Greg prepared to rev up the ship again.

"Let's go, Mr. Universe!" Connie called to the captain as she handled navigation. "Follow those mermaids!"

"Time to set a course for adventure!" Greg cheered as the Mermaid's Cradle went off in the direction of Lapis and her new friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Treasures and Terrors

After swimming for what seemed like an eternity, but was really half an hour; the mermaids finally arrived at the old sunken ship.

"Here we are." Smoky Quartz said to the group.

Lapis swam up and emerged from the water and waved to the Mermaid's Cradle which was not too far away, yelling; "Hey! Over here!"

"Lapis, wait!" Steven cried out before his sister dove back underwater. "We wanna help you find the compass too!"

"Yeah!" Connie said, confidently. "That's right!"

"You shouldn't have to do this alone." Jamie added.

Lapis thought for a few seconds and then shouted out to her dad, "You got the rope ladder for when we're ready to get back on the boat?" Greg nodded and gave her an assuring thumbs up.

"Okay, guys!" Lapis called to her friends. "Jump on down! Don't worry. You'll be okay."

Very carefully, the three human kids climbed on the ship railing and jumped off the ship and into the sea.

"I don't suppose you can use your magic to turn them into mermaids or something, right?" Lapis asked her fellow mermaids.

"Actually, we have something else in mind." Amethyst said, cleverly. "Hope your friends are good swimmers."

Joining hands, the seven mermaids combined their magic to create three, medium-sized filmy bubbles.

"Take one of those bubbles and put them over your head." Sapphire told the three humans.

They were skeptical at first, but they did as they were asked without question. Once each of the kids had a bubble over their heads, they waited a few seconds and then the bubbles popped and a white aura surrounded them.

"What's going on?" asked Connie in confusion.

"Those bubbles gave you the ability to breathe and talk underwater, endure water pressure, and you have invulnerability to hostile sea creatures." Peridot explained. "Now you're ready to dive down with us."

"You kids be careful." Greg yelled to the four kids.

"We will, Dad." Lapis said before everyone dove underwater.

Everybody kept swimming down until they reached the seafloor just then few feet away from the shipwreck.

"So how do we find this compass?" the blue teenage mermaid asked her kin.

"Maybe it's locked in a treasure chest on the wreak." Jamie guessed.

"Well, you don't really _find_ the compass." Rhodonite explained. "It has to find _you_. You have to prove that you are worthy of using it and then it will reveal itself to you."

"How do we prove our worth?" Steven inquired.

"We'll find out soon enough." Lapis said, about to head towards the shipwreck when a pale hand grabbed her arm.

"Wait. Before you go in there, we want you to be prepared for the dangers you may bump into." Pearl warned the inexperienced mermaid. "Some very bad creatures use their magic of create obstacles that prevent mermaids from getting what they want."

"We'll be careful." Connie promised. "You all stay out here and guard the wreak." Lapis told the other mermaids as she and her human friends swam into the wreaked ship.

"Let's get searching." said Steven. "We'll check every nook and cranny if we have to."

The kids spent about seven minutes scouring the entire ruined ship, but no luck. While the other three started to feel like the compass was a lost cause, Lapis had no interest in abandoning the search. The thought of her birth mother was still ablaze in her mind.

Suddenly, Jamie felt an ominous sensation creep over him as a cold eye stared at him while his back was turned.

"Guys?" he asked the others. "Do you ever get the feeling that we're being watched?"

"Look out!" Lapis gasped as a set of sharp-toothed jaws almost chomped the teenage boy. Just then, a pack of four medium sized sharks appeared before the kids. The mermaid almost immediately recognized the species. "Blacktip sharks! Everybody swim for it!"

The four kids swam away as fast as they could, which only made the sharks give chase.

"Why are they attacking?" Connie asked.

"What if they're guarding the compass from us?" Lapis guessed.

"Well whatever the reason, we've got to find a way to give these sharks the slip because they're getting closer!" Jamie said, looking over his shoulder.

"Lapis, what do we do?" asked Steven, feeling scared.

The blue mermaid tried hard to think of a plan, despite having a panic-strickened mind.

"Split up!" she finally shouted. The four kids swam off in separate directions, the pack of sharks only followed Lapis instead one shark going after one kid each.

"They didn't go after us." Steven said as he, Connie, and Jamie regrouped.

"That's because we have invulnerability to them." Connie remembered.

"Yeah, but Lapis doesn't!" Jamie cried in alarm. "And the sharks seem to be after her specifically."

The blue mermaid kept swimming until she found herself cornered in what used to be the captain's quarters of the wreak. The shark pack had already caught up to her. The three human kids followed behind the predators and saw their friend in danger. Lapis looked back and forth from the sharks to her human friends and then had an idea.

"If I have the ability to communicate with the creatures of the sea, then maybe I get through to these relentless sharks." the blue mermaid thought aloud. "Everyone, get behind me, now!"

Jamie, Steven, and Connie quickly swam up and behind the mermaid and waited for something to happen. Then, Lapis clenched her eyes shut, put her hands on her head; and sent telepathic waves towards the sharks to convey a message.

"_Don't attack us_!" Lapis spoke, telepathically. "_You have absolutely no reason to. Just let us search for our treasure in peace, please_!"

The sharks took heed of the mermaid's plea and swam away from the wreak. The three human kids cheered for their mermaid friend.

"Lapis!" cried Steven, giving her sister a big hug. "You did it!"

"I've never seen anything like that!" Connie replied in amazement.

"That was the most incredible and courageous thing I've ever seen you do." Jamie commented to Lapis.

She blushed at her best friend's comment. Just then, a golden light illuminated the captain's quarters and a glinded, opalescent compass appeared before the young mermaid.

"We passed the compass' test of worthiness!" she said, victoriously.

Outside the wreak, the seven mermaids heard the sound of Lapis crying out to them, "Everyone! We got it!"

They turned around to find the inexperienced mermaid and her human friends swimming towards them.

"The Compass of the Undines." Opal said awe.

"I can't believe it!" Pearl exclaimed, taking the compass from Lapis. But then, looked at it dubiously as nothing happened. "That's odd. It should be showing the way to Iridesca. Why isn't it working?"

"Let me see it again." Lapis said to Pearl who handed the treasure back to the blue teenage mermaid.

To her fascination, the compass began to sparkle and the needle spun around until it stopped and pointed to the east. Everybody watched as the instrument operated properly in Lapis's possession.

"I guess it responds to the mermaid who needs it the most." Sapphire thought aloud.

"It looks like you'll have to lead the way, Lapis." Rhodonite told the taller blue mermaid.

"Okay, then let's head east!" Lapis told her friends, sounding like a confident leader. Everyone started swimming to the east with the Mermaid's Cradle following close behind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Attack of the Kraken

Meanwhile in the lair of the sea witches, Malachite and Jasper were observing Lapis and her friends through their viewing bubble.

"It appears that our little princess has uncovered the Compass of the Undines." Malachite said, intrigued by the unfolding events.

"That old piece of junk?" Jasper scoffed. "The princess' little compass and her friends can't keep her out of danger from us forever."

"I agree, son." the sea witch replied. "That shark attack is only the beginning of the dangers little Lapis has yet to face."

"Yeah." Jasper chuckled, evilly. "I'd like to particularly see how she and the other mermaids will amount against the fearsome kraken, especially since mermaids are her favorite prey."

The two sea witches cackled loudly, knowing that the mermaids didn't stand a chance against the monstrosity that was to come.

* * *

So far, the mermaids and human kids had swum for awhile while following the directions the magic compass had provided them.

"So, how far would you say is the mermaid kingdom from here?" Lapis asked her mermaid friends.

"If we just keep swimming like this, we'd be at Iridesca in about two days." Peridot estimated.

"That's a long way to go." Steven said, thinking about the odds. "We might have to set up camp and rest for a couple nights."

"Good thing we came prepared for that." Connie replied, gesturing her thumb towards the Mermaid's Cradle.

Pretty soon, everyone kept swimming until they approached a sea cave when a thought struck Lapis.

"You said the ocean to the kingdom of mermaids is full of other dangers besides shark attacks." she said. "What are these other dangers?"

Before Lapis could get her question answered, the group of mermaids and humans heard rumbling from inside the sea cave.

"What was that?" asked Steven, quivering.

Out of the mouth of the cave, emerged a giant octopus-like cethalopod. Everyone screamed at the sight of the behemoth, the mermaids screaming loudest of all.

"That's a kraken!" said Connie, recognizing the mythical, monsterous creature.

"This is bad!" Rhodonite exclaimed in alarm. "Krakens like to eat mermaids!"

"Unless she decides to go after the Mermaid's Cradle." Jamie brought up in deep concern.

"Protect the ship!" Lapis and her human friends chorused.

The mermaids and humans swam towards the boat as quickly as they could. But then, the kraken extended one of her tentacles and wrapped it around Lapis's waist, trapping her arms to her sides.

"She's got me! Help!" she screamed as the arm pulled her away from her friends.

"Lapis!" everyone cried.

The other mermaids tried to rescue Lapis from the kraken's clutches, but the monster used her free tentacles to trap each of the remaining mermaids one by one. They all struggled to escape the kraken, but her arms were too strong to squirm out of. The monster swam off and took the trapped, screaming mermaids back to her cave, only the sounds of faint screams and rumbling rock were to be heard.

"Oh no!" said Jamie as picked up the compass that Lapis dropped. "We've gotta save them!"

"Good thing I brought this along." said Connie pulling out a waterproof flashlight. "Follow me."

The three human kids swam into the cave and guided by Connie's flashlight, kept swimming until they came into a spacious, dimly lit cavern. They watched as the kraken toss seven of the mermaids into a large, rusty iron cage, but still held Lapis tight. The blue mermaid was no longer struggling. In fact, her body was hanging limp in the kraken's tentacle as if she was dead.

"What happened to Lapis?" asked Jamie, fearing the worst as the human kids approached the cage to free the trapped mermaids.

"The back of her head got slammed into the cave wall when we came in here, knocking her out cold." Smoky Quartz explained.

"We've got to save Lapis before she ends up as an appetizer." said Amethyst.

"And before the rest of us become the main coarse." added Pearl.

"Hey." Connie said, pointing at the kraken which appeared to be settling down for a nap, loosening her tentacles a little. "It looks like the kraken is going to sleep. This might our chance to make a move."

"Okay, but we need to be quiet, careful, and fast." Opal told everyone. "We don't want to wake the monster."

Everybody snuck up on the monster's net of tentacles where Lapis was held and noticed how they were nestling her body like she was a stuffed animal.

"Who cuddles their meal before they eat it?" Steven asked, feeling a little creaped out.

Connie and Jamie grabbed Lapis's left arm while Steven and Amethyst grabbed her right arm.

"Alright, slip her out of the tentacles on the count of three." Jamie said. "We'll be ready in case the kraken wakes up and attacks." added Sapphire as the other six mermaids had their guard up.

"One,...two,...three." Jamie counted, slowly before he, Steven, Amethyst, and Connie pulled Lapis out of the kraken tentacles very carefully.

"We did it!" Amethyst and Steven whisper shouted.

"Lapis, wake up." Jamie said as he caressed the mermaid's cheek. Almost instantly, she started to come to.

"Jamie?" she asked, sleepily rubbing her head. "What happened?"

"The kraken's awake!" Rhodonite cried.

"I'm gonna to try to communicate with her." said Lapis, feeling sure that her telepathy would work on the kraken.

"I don't think you'll have much luck with that." Peridot told her. "Krakens are notoriously unpersuadable creatures."

"We're gonna have to fight our way out." Amethyst stated as she summoned chunks of the cave wall and hurled them at the monster.

Sapphire used the power of ice to freeze the kraken's tentacles to the cave floor, but she broke free easily. Everybody tried their hardest to hold their ground against the formidable beast. At the same time, they protected the human kids from the behemoth's attacks.

Pretty soon, all the mermaids except for Lapis were winded out from the battle. As she and her human friends checked to make sure they were okay, the kraken was preparing to deliver a final strike. However, only the blue mermaid noticed this and a sense of panic and fear penetrated her.

"NOOO!" she cried, holding out her hands trying to protect her friends.

As she did that, a bright blue shockwave pushed the unsuspecting, now stunned kraken into the wall of the cavern with great force. Everyone watched in disbelief at the novice mermaid's abilities. Just then, chucks of cavern ceiling started falling down.

"The cave is collapsing!" cried Pearl. "Let's get out of here!"

"Connie, Jamie, Steven." Lapis told her human friends. "You guys get out first. We'll make sure you make it."

The humans and mermaids swam out of the crumbling cavern as quickly as possible until they were out of the cave safe and sound. Once they were back outside, everybody stopped to catch their breath.

"That was a close one." Rhodonite panted.

"Yeah, I know." Amethyst replied, breathlessly. "I can't believe we survived from the clutches of a kraken. Won't that be a tale to tell back in Iridesca?"

"We especially have to give credit to the mermaid who made that possible." Smoky Quartz brought up as everyone turned toward Lapis, smiling in a congratulatory manner. The young mermaid blushed and giggled modestly as Jamie handed her back the compass she dropped.

"Seriously." Peridot told the blue mermaid. "We never knew you were that powerful."

"I didn't either." Lapis admitted, truthfully, still in shock with how much her abilities have grown.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Rough Waters

All of a sudden, Lapis heard a muffled boom coming from the surface of the water.

"Did anyone else hear that?" she asked her friends, feeling a little scared.

"Sure did." Opal said, solemnly.

"I hope it's not another kraken." said Rhodonite, quivering.

"Hey, when did the sky get so gloomy?" Steven asked, noticing that a slight darkness had fallen over the water.

Everybody swam up to the surface and looked up to find that the sky was now an ominous gray as dark clouds blocked out the sunlight.

"Those are cumulonimbus clouds." Connie pointed out. "They must've rolled in while we were in the kraken's cave."

"That means there's a storm coming!" said Peridot. "And it looks like it's going to hit the ocean hard."

"What about the Mermaid's Cradle?" Jamie asked, worriedly.

"Dad!" Lapis and Steven both gasped in distress.

"Mr. Universe!" Connie shouted to the ship's captain.

"What's going on, guys?" Greg asked.

"Dad, send down the rope ladder." Lapis said to her adopted father. "There's a storm coming this way. We gotta take shelter."

"You got it." Greg nodded. "Ladder coming down."

"What about the other mermaids?" Steven asked, feeling concerned for them. "We can't leave them in the water. They'll get knocked around in the storm."

"We'll have to bring them on board with us." Lapis stated to his reassurance. "Steven and Connie, you two go up first. Jamie, I need you and Dad to help me get the mermaids on the boat."

"Got it." Jamie said, giving a nod.

After Connie and Steven made up it the rope ladder, Lapis followed them, but only stop after a few rungs to turn back into a human. Now with legs, she continued up the ladder to join her dad on board.

One by one, the seven mermaids were helped onto the Mermaid's Cradle by Jamie, Lapis, and Greg. Jamie carried in each mermaid on his back as he climbed up the rope ladder. Meanwhile, Lapis and her dad helped get the mermaids into the indoor part of the boat where Connie and Steven were waiting.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Steven. "Are we all here?"

Greg did a silent headcount to make sure everyone was present and nobody was left behind.

"Yep, we got everybody." he announced, positively. "And I dropped the anchor so we won't have to worry about getting tossed around by the waves.

"That's good to-" Lapis spoke as she put a hand over her heart, but she cut herself off when she couldn't feel the pendent of her locket. "Where's my necklace?"

Everyone looked down at the floor to see if the locket fell down there.

"I don't see it in here, kiddo." Greg told his adopted daughter. "Sorry."

"Okay, the last time I used it was when I transformed into a human." the blue girl said, retracing her steps. "Then, I helped you and Jamie hoist the mermaids onto the boat. Oh no. What if it dropped into the ocean?"

Lapis looked gave everyone a glance, then turned and made her way to the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" her dad said, grabbing her arm. "What do you think are doing?"

"I gotta go out there to see if I left my necklace outside." said Lapis as she pulled her arm away from his grip.

"Are you kidding me!?" Pearl exclaimed. "Lapis, those are gale-force winds out there and seven-foot waves!"

"You don't understand!" the blue girl snapped back. "That necklace means everything to me! It doesn't just help me transform, it is the only thing I have to help me feel close to my birth mother!"

Everyone fell silent as Lapis grabbed a yellow raincoat, put it on without buttoning it and gripped the door handle firmly.

"Lapis?" Jamie said, putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I'm coming with you. You shouldn't to be out there by yourself."

Lapis gave a small smile and handed him another raincoat.

Outside, the two teens pushed to the best of their ability and fought against the harsh winds and look through the ambiguous raindrops.

"Do you see it anywhere?" Jamie yelled so that Lapis could hear him above the wind.

"No." she replied, looking around the boat.

She didn't want to think her locket fell into the water, but that possibility was becoming more and more likely. Just then, a glint over the starboard side caught her eye.

"Jamie, I think I see it on the rope ladder." the blue girl called out to her best friend who joined her to where she was looking. "Down there."

Sure enough, the golden seashell locket was hanging on one of the ladder's rungs. It was must have fallen down there while Lapis, Jamie, and Greg were getting the mermaids up on the Mermaid's Cradle.

"I'm gonna go down there and get it." Lapis told Jamie starting from the top of the ladder.

"Alright, I'll keep watch for big waves." the teenage boy replied. "You be careful."

"Will do." Lapis started to climb down the rope ladder very carefully, especially considering that it was slippery with the rain and sea. Once her hands were at the right level, she started to untangle the locket's chain from the rung. Her raincoat flew off of her, leaving her exposed and vulnerable to the punishing elements.

"How's it going down there?" asked Jamie looking down.

"Hang on." Lapis answered, trying to concentrate "I've got-"

"Lapis, look out!" the teenage boy shouted in alarm cutting off the blue girl.

Lapis looked behind her and to her dismay, a giant wave came crashing into the starboard side. She screamed as soon as the water made contact.

Jamie peeked over the side and was alarmed to find that Lapis was gone, but so was her locket, which meant she untangled it in time.

Meanwhile, Lapis tried to fight her way back up to the surface of the water, but the extreme nature of the storm proved it to be a challenge for her. She tried to use her locket (which was now in her pocket along with the Compass of the Undines) to turn into a mermaid, but she was underwater for so long and had so much water in her lungs, she was too weak to pull it out.

Above the water, Jamie knew as if by instinct that Lapis was in trouble. He realized he had to do something and then he remembered that he still had the magic from the mermaid's bubbles. He also remembered the emergency plan for everyone to meet on the closest island if anyone got separated.

Without hesitation, Jamie dove into the water and instantly found Lapis on verge of drowning, her consciousness slipping away. Immediately, the human boy grabbed his best friend and held her close as he swam to the surface. Lapis didn't understand what was going on, but the last thing she felt before blacking out was being rescued and the warmth of a heroic stranger.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Feelings Grow and Blossom

_Lapis found herself underwater again and saw a glimmering shiny city, but it wasn't exactly clear. _

_"I feel like I've been here before." she said, squinting. _

_Just then, she heard a faint voice calling, "Lapis? Lapis, wake up!"_

In a flash of light, her vision was brought back into reality. She saw a blurry figure hovering over her. When her vision fell back into focus, that figure turned out to be Jamie with an expression of worry on his face. The sky was now free of storm clouds and the sun was setting over the horizon.

"Jamie?" she asked in a hoarse voice, noticing that she was laying down on the sandy beach.

"You're okay." the human boy said with tears of joy in his eyes. "Thank goodness. I thought you were going to drown if I didn't swoop in in time."

"I almost drowned?" the blue girl asked. Then, she remembered the storm and her locket. "Jamie, you saved my life."

"Yeah." Jamie said, blushing. "How ironic is it that the human is the one who saved the mermaid?"

Lapis looked up at her savior with a deep blue blush spread across her face. She was lost in the human's soft black eyes as he put a hand on her cheek.

Lapis and Jamie had been friends ever since they were kids, but as they grew up; Lapis started having strong, funny feelings towards the teenage boy. Aside from her dad, Steven, and Connie; Jamie was the only person who looked past how different she was and viewed her like a person. She dreamed of having him hold her close and even share her first kiss with him.

On the other hand, Jamie found Lapis the most incredible and beautiful girl he could ever know. Even after he discovered that she was a mermaid, it didn't make him like her any less. If anything, his respect for her had grown. He had planned on eventually asking her to be his girlfriend, but was always too shy to do so.

"Lapis, I think you are the most awesome girl in the entire world." Jamie continued. "Every moment we've shared together makes the butterflies in my stomach flutter. I... I love you."

"Oh, Jamie." Lapis said, feeling flattered and her cheeks blushing. "I think you're incredible too. You have always been so good and caring to me. I feel so lucky to have you in my life."

"I know." the teenage boy replied as he helped her stand up. "Which is why I need to ask you something very important."

He took the blue girl's hands, looked into her ocean blue eyes and asked, "Lapis Lazuli, will you be my girlfriend?"

Lapis's eyes started to well up and a great big smile started to creep across her face. She had been waiting for that question to be asked for a long time.

"Jamie." she said, starting to cry. "Yes! Yes, I will!"

Jamie gleefully wrapped his arms around the tearful girl, swept her off her feet and spun around while hugging her. Lapis giggled full of mirth.

After he set her down, the two lovers looked into each other's gleaming eyes dreamily. As their faces drew closer to each other, their eyes began to slowly close. And then, their lips met each other and the two teens shared their first kiss. Lapis was blushing like crazy and even started to glow bright blue.

After she and Jamie pulled away, Lapis opened her eyes and was surprised to find that the Mermaid's Cradle was pulling in. Greg, Steven, Connie, and the mermaids were watching the two lovers in awe.

"Um, how long have you all been watching us?" the blue girl asked, feeling embarrassed.

"Not long enough." Amethyst said, smugly. The other mermaids smiled in agreement.

"And you're not against this?" Lapis inquired.

"You've known him for a long time and if he makes you happy, who are we to judge?" Peridot responded.

Lapis gave a small, relieved smile.

* * *

Night had fallen and after everybody set up camp on the beach, Greg cooked a good old-fashioned campfire dinner for the kids. Once everyone had full bellies, the kids got into their pajamas and sat around the crackling fire while Greg strummed a song on his guitar before heading off to bed.

The other mermaids were curious as they watched the group.

"What is that thing you all are sitting around?" Rhodonite asked.

"And what are those strange clothes?" added Smoky Quartz.

"These are pajamas." Steven explained. "Humans wear them when they sleep."

"And this is a fire." Connie added, pointing at the flames. "But, don't get too close to it. It's really hot."

Lapis sat closely next to Jamie while staring into the mesmerizing orange and yellow flames of the campfire and suddenly started to get cold as the wind brushed against her bare skin. Jamie noticed this and enveloped the shivering girl in a warm blanket. After awhile, the pleasant warmth from the blanket and the heat radiating from the fire made Lapis feel very tired. She lay her head on Jamie's shoulder and gave out a steady yawn.

"Looks like somebody's ready for bed." Greg chuckled.

While the mermaids went to rest on the rocks near the shore, Lapis and the humans retired in the tents they set up. Greg had his own tent while the two pairs of kids each shared a tent which was good news for Lapis and Jamie.

As the two lovebirds settled on the air mattress in their tent and snuggled under the blanket, Jamie heard a familiar tinkling song.

"You're playing your locket music box." he said to Lapis who had opened up her special necklace. "Yeah." the young girl said, resting her head on her pillow.

"I always found it easier to sleep when that song was playing. It also reminds me that I'm getting closer to finding my birth mother. I can't wait to meet her in person."

"What do you think your mom is like anyway?" her boyfriend asked.

"I think she's the most gorgeous, big-hearted, altruistic mermaid in the whole ocean." Lapis guessed with a big yawn and a sleepy look in her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure a mermaid like that would definitely be related to you." Jamie conveyed. "She must have had the right idea when she met your dad. She couldn't have picked a better human to adopt you."

He looked over to the side and saw that his girlfriend was now peacefully sound asleep. He smiled, moved the blue girl's bangs, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered; "I love you, Lapis."

He rested his head on his own pillow, but didn't fall asleep right away. He just gazed at his girlfriend's tranquil face and watched as her body rose and fell as she breathed. Her locket closed automatically once Lapis was absolutely asleep.

Jamie felt blessed that his best friend was now his girlfriend and that he got to share in this magical life that she had. With one last look, he closed his eyes and placed a hand on her hand which was on the gap between the two pillows as he fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Nightmare in Disguise

Meanwhile in the sea witch's lair, Jasper was gazing through the magic, viewing bubble as Lapis slept. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought the young girl looked even more beauteous and innocent when she was asleep.

"Perhaps this is a great opportunity to lure the princess into my dwelling." he said evilly to himself.

"Oh, ladies." the male sea witch called. From the shadows, three feminine silhouettes that looked like mermaids appeared before him.

"What is your will, master Jasper?" one of them asked, bowing.

"I need your help to capture a mermaid named Lapis Lazuli." Jasper explained, showing the trio an image of what Lapis looked like. "She is a princess and the mermaid I want to be my bride."

The three mermaid-like creatures' eyes glinted wickedly. "To help you in your endeavor to capture young Lapis, I will be using this." the sea witch's son continued.

Jasper put a hand behind his back and presented a cloudy bottle to the three feminine silhouettes.

"This potion will not only guide the princess into a deeper sleep, but will tease her mind into thinking she's having a sweet dream." he told the trio of evil creatures. "Once I release the potion, I want you three to sing one of your hypnotic songs that will draw the child into the ocean and towards a whirlpool from which she'll have no means of escaping."

"How clever, your Evilness." one of the other monsters hissed.

"Yes." Jasper said, proudly. "Now go my sirens, find the mermaid princess and bring her to me. The sooner she is in my clutches, the sooner I can begin my oceanwide conquest."

"It shall be done." the three mermaid-like monsters responded in unison before swimming off.

No sooner were the sirens gone that Jasper pulled the cork from the potion bottle and the sirens began singing their haunting accord. A sinister green haze flowed from the bottle and mixed with the sound of the sirens' calmative melody. The vapor and the alluring song of the sirens traveled their way above the water and into the sleeping girl's tent. The wicked concoction flowed through Lapis's ear and seeped into her brain; putting her into an even deeper sleep.

"Lapis." a wicked voice whispered to her. "You must come back to the water. You have to come home."

Then, her eyes opened up half-lidded, but she wasn't awake. Her eye color changed from a beautiful ocean blue to a glowing toxic green. After that, she crawled out of bed and out the tent, leaving her locket and Jamie behind, saying in a sleepy monotone, "Goootta get to occcean."

Hearing her voice, Jamie instantly awoke, "Lapis?" That was when he noticed that her side of the mattress was empty, but her locket was still there. He picked up and said to himself, "She would never leave without this."

Jamie peeked out the tent opening and saw Lapis walking awkwardly towards the ocean.

"Lapis." he whisper shouted to her. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Neeeed to gooooo baaack to wwwwater." the blue girl mumbled in response.

"That's right." whispered Jasper, schemingly as he watched Lapis through his viewing bubble. "Come to me, my little princess puppet. Come back to the water."

_In Lapis's "dream," it was a sunny day and in the crystal blue waters; a group of giggly mermaids were waving their arms and ushering her into to come into the ocean. _

_"Come on in, Lapis." one of the mermaids said in a bubbly tone. "The water is fine." _

_"Don't you wanna join us for a swim?" asked another mermaid in an equally peppy tone. _

_Lapis giggled playfully and said, "Here I come!" _

Back in reality, as Lapis began wading in the water; Jamie looked out and saw three mermaid-like girls creating a whirlpool. They had pasty skin, shark-like tails, fins on the sides of their heads, webbed hands, and slits on their necks that resembled gills. One had straw-colored hair in a perm, one had ash-colored hair in two side buns along with an eyepatch made out of seaweed that covered one of her eyes, and one had powder blue hair that almost covered her eyes.

Jamie looked over to the other tents and then to the rocks and knew that everyone was still fast asleep and that there would be no time to wake them up. He instantly knew that he was going to have to rescue his girlfriend himself.

As soon as Lapis was deep enough in the water, she started to float towards the whirlpool since she wasn't conscious enough to swim. Fortunately for her, Jamie wasn't too far behind and had started swimming after her. Just in the nick of time, he snatched his girlfriend's arm and started to pull her back, much to the sirens' chagrin.

_Meanwhile, Lapis's dream suddenly became a nightmare when Jasper jumped out of the water and grabbed the young mermaid's arm. She screamed in pure terror. _

_"The mermaids can't protect you forever, little girl." the monsterous sea witch proclaimed, wickedly. "There's no where to hide where I can't find you. You are meant to be mine and mine alone. Soon, you will belong to me forever and you will never see another loved one ever again!" _

_"No!" Lapis cried as she felt herself being dragged away. "No! No! NOOOOOOO!" _

"Wake up, Lapis!" Jamie said, loudly; holding the young girl tight. Lapis blinked back into reality, her eye color returned to normal, and she started thrashing in the water yelling, "What am I doing out here?"

"You _were_ about to float unconsciously right into a whirlpool." the teenage boy explained. "You were under some kind of trance."

Lapis was in shock. She didn't remember anything after falling asleep. But, the nightmare she had sure burned into her memory and she started to tear up.

"Jamie!" she started sobbing and hiccupping as she hugged her boyfriend and buried her face in his shoulder. "I had a nightmare about a monster named Jasper! He's out to get me!"

"Lapis, shhhh." Jamie said, soothingly as he rubbed the blue girl's back. "It's okay. It's okay. It was just a bad dream."

As the two of them swam back to shore, Lapis yelled as she felt herself being forcibly dragged down underwater by her legs. Jamie immediately dove underwater and saw that the three sirens were still trying to take her away. Quickly, he took a hold Lapis's arm pulled her away from the wicked creatures and back up to the surface.

"Come on, let's get to shallow water." said the teenage boy, carrying his girlfriend in a bridal style back to the camp.

Back on the shore, he and Lapis changed into dry pajamas and tried to go back to sleep. However, the poor girl was too chilled to the bone from the cold air and water to fall asleep, even with her locket playing it's lullaby. Jamie took notice and got an idea. He wrapped Lapis in a cocoon of extra blankets and held her close to him as he threw a blanket over himself.

Lapis didn't know what was more calming: her music box playing, the cocoon of blankets, the warmth and heartbeat of her boyfriend's body, or the way he ran his fingers through her hair. But whatever the reason, she found herself relaxed enough to fall asleep again.

Meanwhile, Jamie felt concerned about this Jasper character Lapis mentioned. She really seemed freaked out about him, almost as if she believed he was real and maybe he was. He looked down at his sleeping girlfriend and realized how close he was to losing her. This time, he was not going to let her be in harm's way like that again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: No Going Back Now

The next morning, Jamie awoke to the sound of someone sneezing and coughing. He looked down at the blanket cocoon that his girlfriend was bundled in and was surprised to find that Lapis's face looked flushed.

"Lapis, are you okay?" the teenage boy asked the blue girl.

"Oh yeah." Lapis sniffled. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" her boyfriend said, raising an eyebrow. "Because you don't look so good."

"It's only early morning." the blue girl told him. "I'm sure I'll feel better once the day progresses."

The two of them got dressed and joined Greg, Connie, and Steven for breakfast. Immediately, they noticed how unwell Lapis looked, which worried Greg deeply. The mermaids acknowledged the blue girl's condition as well and were equally concerned.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Lapis's adopted father asked, accompanying his daughter. "You look like you caught a cold."

"It probably happened after Lapis took a late night swim in her pajamas last night." Jamie guessed to Greg.

Everybody gasped in surprise.

"What?!" Pearl exclaimed to the flushed girl. "In your human form!?"

"It wasn't my intention." Lapis said, trying to defend her herself.

"A trio of sirens tried to lure her into a whirlpool while she was under some kind of hypnosis." Jamie said, vouching for her. "Then, they attempted to drag her down when she was snapped out of the trance."

"While I was 'sleepwalking,' I had a nightmare about a human/octopus monster trying to steal me away and force me to marry him. He called himself: Jasper." the blue girl added.

"You mean _the_ Jasper, the son of the feared sea witch, Malachite?" asked Smoky Quartz, looking a little alarmed. "Those two fill the ocean with traps to capture unsuspecting mermaids and do terrible things to them."

"Yeah, they are bad news." agreed Amethyst.

"He's real!?" questioned Lapis, shaking. "Wait, you said that my birth mother sent me away to protect me from a frightening villian. What if my mom was protecting me from him?!"

"But, what would Jasper want with you specifically?" said Peridot, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure." the young girl admitted. "Maybe he wants me to marry him like he said in my nightmare, which is all the more reason for me to find my birth mother. She might know for sure."

"Are you sure you want to keep going, sweetie?" Greg asked his daughter. "If you're getting sick, maybe we should turn around and head back home."

"Yes, I want to keep going." Lapis answered, firmly. "And no I don't want to turn back. We've come so far on this journey and we should be almost there by now."

"Refusing to rest is only getting you sicker." Opal told her. "You'll be making things worse for yourself if you keep pushing."

"So?" the blue girl said. "People get colds all the time and they come out fine afterwards. Besides, we're too far from any civilization to go to a doctor."

"Lapis." Pearl tried to reason with her.

"You're not making me change my mind." Lapis declared, stubbornly. "I'm gonna find my birth mother and no sea witch or cold is going to stop me!"

"Alright, let's get going then." said Amethyst, giving in to the blue girl's determined nature.

Lapis transformed into a mermaid and took the lead, diving into the sea. And as soon as the other mermaids gave the human kids their magic bubbles, they followed the blue teenage mermaid under the water.

Following the Compass of the Undines, the group kept swimming until they came up to a sea grass bed. In the distance, Jamie saw saw three faint figures approaching. The closer arrive, the more familiar they looked. And he gasped in fright when he realized who they were.

"The sirens are back!" he shouted in alarm. Steven, Connie, and the mermaids were alerted of the approaching danger.

"Oh no!" Lapis said, her eyes growing wide. "Cover your ears!"

But it was too late for the sirens had already begun singing their mesmerizing chorus. However of all who were near to hear it, only seven of the mermaids fell under the sirens' spell. Lapis and her human friends were surprisingly immuned to the haunting melody.

"Why aren't you hypnotized by the sirens' song like you were last night?" asked Jamie, looking confused.

"I think the magic in my necklace is cancelling out the magic in their voices." the blue mermaid assumed. "But, what's protecting _you_ from the sirens?"

"I guess magical creatures who lure victims to their doom by entrancing them with their singing is considered hostile." Connie guessed.

"And the mermaids' bubbles do protect us from ornery sea creatures." Steven brought up.

The four kids then acknowledged that the sirens were drawing the seven enthralled mermaids into an upcoming trap.

"They're swimming towards a cage!" exclaimed Steven, pointing at the trap. "We have to stop them!"

"If only there was another sound that could overpower the sirens." Connie thought aloud, putting a finger under her chin.

"What about _my_ voice?" Lapis suggested.

"Do you really think your singing can drown out theirs?" Jamie asked his girlfriend, taking interest in this idea.

"Honestly, I'm not so sure." she sniffled. "But I say it's worth a shot."

The blue mermaid cleared her throat and began singing an enchanting refrain. The heavenly melody was much stronger than the sirens' strain and it snapped her mermaid friends out of the sirens' thrall just in time before they swam into the cage.

"We're free!" said Smoky Quartz, having regained her free will.

"Lapis broke the sirens' spell." Sapphire said in amazement.

"That's impossible!" the yellow siren yelled. "We had you under our spell!"

The three sirens tried to sing again but to their alarm; no sound came out.

"Our singing voices!" cried the blue siren.

"That brat took away our ability to sing!" the gray siren said, feeling devastated. And with that, the sirens swam full of tears, never to be heard from again.

The seven mermaids rejoined the kids as the three humans cheered in triumph. Jamie and Steven happily hugged a very sleepy-looking Lapis.

"Lapis, that was awesome!" her little brother said, joyfully.

"You saved us, Lapis!" cheered Rhodonite. "Thank you!"

"Yeah." the inexperienced mermaid said, sleepily between coughs. "I guess I did..."

Just then, Lapis swooned and fainted, collapsing into her boyfriend's arm.

"Oh no." said Pearl, swimming over to the fainted mermaid's side. "Lapis?"

Everyone joined the pale mermaid and looked upon Lapis who was now trembling and wheezing weakly.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Mermaid Ocean Deprivation Sickness

"Someone..." Lapis pleaded, her voice barely a whisper and her eyes struggling to stay open. "Help... me."

Opal made her way over to the ailing blue mermaid to inspect her. Meanwhile, Jasper was watching everything transpire through his viewing bubble.

"Hmmm, interesting." he muttered to himself.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Steven, concerned for his sister's health.

"I'm afraid Lapis isn't suffering from any minor human illness." the oldest mermaid confirmed. "She is sickening from a rare but serious malady known as Mermaid Ocean Deprivation Sickness or MODS for short."

"What!?" the other mermaids exclaimed in unison.

"But, a mermaid hasn't gotten that disease in years." Sapphire argued.

"Um, what's Mermaid Ocean Deprivation Sickness?" asked Steven, feeling confused and fearful at the same time.

"If a mermaid spends a long amount of time away from the ocean's water, that's when they develop this illness. They only get it once but as mentioned before, the disease is very serious." Pearl explained to the humans. "Young mermaids usually get a vaccination so that their bodies are ready to fight the affliction."

"But, Lapis spent her whole childhood living with us in Beach City." Jamie told the healthy mermaids.

"Exactly." Rhodonite said. "Without that vaccination, Lapis will be even more susceptible to the symptoms of MODS. And her body's immune system won't know how to fight the sickness."

"What _are_ the symptoms?" asked Connie when that particular topic came up.

"Well, the sneezing and coughing were the first surefire signs of the ailment." said Sapphire. "After that, she'll break out in burning spots and lose the ability to regulate her own body temperature. Then by sundown, she'll fall into a slumber from which she will never wake up from before fading into sea foam."

The humans gasped in horror of this terrible fate. Lapis continued to quiver and moan weakly.

"Please tell us that there's a cure for this." Steven pleaded, scared for his big sister.

"As a matter of fact, there is." Peridot informed, positively. "We know of two healer mermaids who specialize in all kinds of mermaid ailments. They're sure to have the medicine for Lapis's condition."

"Where can we find these healers?" asked Connie, anxiously.

"They reside in the Shimmering Reef." Rhodonite answered. "It's not that far from here."

"Well then, lead the way." said Jamie, holding Lapis in a bridal style seeing as she was too weak to swim. "We don't have a moment to lose."

* * *

"Come on." Sapphire urged everyone as they kept swimming at full speed. "We're almost there."

"How will we know where the Shimmering Reef is?" Steven asked.

"Oh, you can't miss it." answered Amethyst. "The reef is made up of so many different colors and when the sunlight hits it just right, it glistens. That's why it's called the Shimmering Reef."

"Guys, look up ahead!" Connie shouted, pointing. "I think that's it!"

"Oh yeah!" Smoky Quartz cheered. "That's definitely the Shimmering Reef! The healer mermaids are in a cave at the heart of the reef."

Just then out of nowhere, growths of the reef started to jab at the group in a surprise attack.

"What's happening?" Connie asked in alarm.

"The coral is attacking us!" said Steven.

Everybody looked around and saw that the reef was cloudy and black almost like oil.

"It must be Jasper's work!" Pearl said, angrily. "His dark magic is all over the place."

The humans and mermaids tried to dodge the corrupted coral, but it just kept pushing them back.

"It'll be nightfall by the time we get past this coral." groaned Amethyst.

"We can't wait that long." argued Jamie, seeing that Lapis was already breaking out in burning, blue blemishes. "We need to cure Lapis now and I refuse to give up on my girlfriend."

All of a sudden, the ailing mermaid began to stir, gaining a second wind and a self-awareness of her environment. There, Lapis noticed that a particular brain coral had dark magic that was as black as night. Summoning what little strength she had, she swam out of her boyfriend's arms and over to the brain coral.

"_The dark magic is strongest here_." she thought, inspecting the brain coral.

Lapis put both hands on the brain coral and in a blue glow, the reef was cleansed of its dark magic and returned to normal.

The mermaids and humans were in awe by Lapis's capability to undo dark magic so well. But, the excitement was short-lived when the young mermaid started to swoon sickly again. Everyone quickly rushed to her side.

"I'm... so... cold." she moaned as she shivered in Jamie's arms.

Without a moment of haste, the group arrived at the mouth of a coral cave to be welcomed by a mermaid whom which they had never met. The mermaid looked around nineteen years old and had long dark brown hair, brownish-tan skin, black eyes, and a sparkly hot pink tail. She wore a turquoise flowing bikini top with light red stars and a pink seashell hairclip.

"What's going on?" asked the stranger.

"We're here to seek the healer mermaids." Pearl answered. "But who are you? I don't think we've seen you before."

"She's our healer appreciate, Stevonnie." answered a kind sounding voice.

From the cave, two more mermaids emerged to meet the visitors.

One of the mermaids looked elderly and had a turquoise blue complexion, dark teal eyes, and pale sea green hair. She had a blue and purple top and a dazzling violet tail.

The other mermaid was heavy-looking and seemed to be in her late twenties. She had bright peach skin, long pink hair that descended into curly ringlets, and black eyes. She wore a white ruffle-layered top and had a gaudy bright pink tail.

"Fluorite! Rose Quartz!" Opal exclaimed.

"What brings you all to the Shimmering Reef?" Fluorite asked, warmly.

"Our friend, Lapis has contracted MODS and she needs medicine, fast." Connie explained, showing the trembling mermaid to the two healers.

"Bring her in, quickly." urged Rose Quartz.

Everybody swam into the coral cave and Fluorite fetched a bottle of bubbling orange liquid then passed it to the pink mermaid. She joined Lapis who was accompanied by the three human kids while the other mermaids stood aside and watched in anticipation.

Rose Quartz put the orange bottle to the ailing blue mermaid's lips to help her drink and swallow the life-saving medicine. The liquid that flowed over Lapis's tongue had a sweet, tangy flavor like oranges mixed with honey. As soon as she swallowed the last drop of medicine, the burning spots in the blue mermaid's skin started to fade. Her body also relaxed as internal warmth washed over her once more.

"The medicine worked!" said Steven in triumph. "She's cured!"

Everybody rejoiced with relief.

"And just in time too." Rhodonite sighed. "The deadly fatigue was about to set in."

"Thank you very much." Lapis said to the healer mermaids. "Now that I'm feeling better, we can get back to our mission and find my mom."

"Are you sure you don't want to-" Stevonnie asked, but cut herself off when a large, ill-boding penumbra overshadowed the Shimmering Reef.

Most of the younger mermaids were paralyzed with fear, but Lapis and her human friends were engrossed by the shadow and yearning to investigate.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Pirates!

"Please tell me that's _our_ ship." said Pearl, trembling as the mermaids and humans checked out the unidentified boat.

"That doesn't look like the Mermaid's Cradle to me." Connie said, looking skeptical.

"It's huge." Steven added, squinting. "And it looks like it's made of wood."

Even though she was intrigued by the wooden ship, Lapis noticed that a fishing net was sweeping through the water and heading towards Sapphire and Rhodonite.

"Watch out!" she yelled, pushing the two unsuspecting mermaids out of the way. However, she screamed as the net ensnared her instead and hoisted her up to the surface.

"Lapis!" everyone exclaimed. When the blue mermaid was emerged from the water, she found that wasn't just any wooden ship; this was a pirate ship!

"Avast me hearties!" a dirty looking man cried as a group of at least twenty of them gazed upon their catch. "Looks like we caught ourselves a genuine mermaid."

"What do ye make of 'er, cap'n?" another pirate asked turning to the back.

A burly man stepped forward of the crowd of pirates to face the mermaid in the net. He had a white skull painted all over his face, wild white hair, and piercing yellow eyes. He wore a torn burgundy tunic, dark brown pants and black boots with a tattered black cape draped over his shoulders. All his accessories were made out of bones including his belt, bracelets, and necklace. He looked like more than just a pirate captain, he almost looked like a witch doctor.

"Ah, she be a fine lass." the frightening captain breathed, gazing upon a quivering Lapis. She gagged as she caught a whiff of his bad breath.

"Fine looking necklace ye got." the witch doctor/captain commented, eying the mermaid's trinket. "I'll be takin' this here jewelry as loot."

"No!" Lapis implored as the pirate slipped a hand into the net and tried to pull off her necklace. "Don't take my locket! It's the only thing I have to help me feel close to my birth mother."

"Let her have her necklace, captain." a young voice said, loudly.

Lapis noticed one of the younger pirates hanging in the back of the crowd as if he wanted nothing to do with this. He looked around seventeen years old and had a pinkish hue in his skin with a scar over his left eye and a mohawk of soft pink hair. His attire was simple with a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, dark denim pants, and black shoes.

"No one made ye cap'n, Lars!" the pirate captain shouted back, releasing his grip on the girl's locket. "But fine."

"What shall we do with 'er?" one of the pirates asked, connivingly.

"Let's send 'er to Davy Jones' Locker!" another exhorted.

"No!" the captain interjected, abruptly.

The crew was immediately silenced by the outburst.

"I mean..." the captain stammered, trying to come up with an excuse. "It be a waste to destroy such ravishing beauty."

"So what do ye suggest then, cap'n?" a buccaneer inquired.

"I propose we offer her off to the fearful sea god in return for calm waters for sailin'." he proclaimed. "Surely he'll promise us peaceful weather if we hand off this sweet lassie as his bride."

The other pirates cheered while Lars cried out, "Hey, you can't do that!"

"Who said ye had any say in this, Lars?" the captain asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No one, sir." the young pirate answered meekly, looking down at his feet.

"Please let me go." Lapis pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "I've come so far from the mainland to try and find my birth mother. I know so little about her and who I am for that matter because I've only just rediscovered my mermaid heritage. And finding my mom will be like filling an empty piece of my heart and my memory."

"Spare me yer sob story, mermaid." the pirate captain said nonchalantly, pulling something out from under his cape. "I don't wanna a peep outta ye 'til we be at the sea god's island. Sleep tight, little mermaid."

The captain opened his hand and blew some oddly-colored powder Lapis's face. She coughed, trying to get the some of the powder out of her nose. Suddenly, she felt so tired, her eyes drooped closed, and her upper body fell backwards on the netting as she fell asleep.

* * *

Later that night, the blue mermaid was still fast asleep when she heard the sound of rope snapping. Lapis opened her eyes and used her hands to rub them as she shook the affects of the sleeping powder. Once her eyes were wide open, she saw that Lars was cutting the net that held the blue girl with a pocket knife.

"What's going on?" asked Lapis, her adrenaline rushing. "Are we at the sea god's island yet?"

"There _is_ no sea god." the young pirate told her, truthfully. "I'm here to cut you free, so you can go back to the ocean."

"Wait, you're saving me?" the teenage mermaid questioned. "But why?"

"You sounded so determined when you said you wanted to reunite with your mom." Lars answered. "And if you can find your family, then maybe I can find mine."

"What do you mean?" Lapis asked.

"I was abducted and taken away from my parents by these pirates when I was twelve years old." the teenage pirate explained to her as he continued to cut the net. "There's nothing I want more out of life than to grab a lifeboat and paddle away from this ship, back to the mainland. But who would still be waiting for their kid after five years?"

"Well, I've been apart from my birth mom for over _fourteen_ years." the mermaid replied. "And I doubt she would forget about me after all that time. I'm sure _your_ parents haven't forgotten you either."

"Maybe." Lars thought out loud as he finished cutting a hole in the net and carried Lapis in a bridal style. "All done. Now let's get you back into the water."

"Why you no good bilge rat!" the captain snarled, catching Lars in the act. "How dare ye help the mermaid against me wishes."

"You can't keep her held hostage." the young pirate argued.

"Oh, I beg to differ." the witch doctor/captain said grimly, grabbing the knife that Lars dropped and held it like he planned on stabbing something.

He came at the young pirate and Lapis covered his chest to protect his heart from the dangerous captain. But instead, the knife cut the mermaid's arm, but not deeply. She howled at the stinging pain. Then the witch doctor/pirate captain pulled her our Lars' arms and threw her down a hatch door.

"What are you doing to do to me?" the young mermaid asked.

"I just thought ye might make a nice snack for them leeches." he explained before closing the hatch and walking off.

"Leeches!?" Lapis echoed. "Hey, come back! You can't just leave me down here!"

With only a single moonbeam as her light source, the blue mermaid could see that in fact leeches were crawling all over her body. They were already on her tail and bare skin, sucking her blood. Lapis desperately screamed for help, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. She tried to shake the leeches off her arms and tail, which turned out to be futile. Her head was spinning as more and more blood was drained from her body.

"Please stop." the young mermaid moaned, feeling weak.

She clenched her eyes shut and in a blue glow, her body created a forcefield that forced the leeches off her skin and scales. Just then, the hatch door opened and a pair of arms pulled Lapis out from inside the ship's hull.

"Lars?" she said, recognizing the young pirate and seeing no sign of the dastardly captain.

"You don't look so good." Lars clarified, examining Lapis and noticed how pale she looked. "We need to get help."

"No, we have to find the mermaid kingdom." the blue girl said, feverishly.

"You are in no condition to swim anywhere on your own right now." the teenage pirate argued as he walked to the starboard. "You need to rest."

"But, I have to find my mother!" said Lapis, stubbornly as she tried to shake out of Lars' arms with what little strength she had left. "I have to go home!"

Finally, she was loose from the young pirate's grip, but she fell overboard almost unconsciously with a splash.

"Lapis!" Lars gasped, reaching an outstretched hand.

The blue mermaid sank not only into the sea, but also into darkness. However before she blacked out, the last thing she saw was swarm of colorful arms catching her before Lapis hit the sea floor.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: A Steady Recovery

_The sound of a newborn baby crying echoed through Lapis's head. Some feminine silhouettes came and looked down upon her perception. _

_"Awww." one of the silhouettes said to her. "Aren't you just the cutest little baby?" _

_"She is so beautiful." another added, gleefully. _

_"Such a precious angel." a third silhouette cooed. _

_"We will give her this special locket so that she will never forget the sea." a regal-sounding voice announced, her seashell necklace dangling over the mermaid's face. _

_Then in a blink of light, Lapis found herself looking up from a baby bassinet and two tiny baby hands were grabbing at the water as crying continued to fill in the room. _

_"Sister, come quick." a silhouette with poofy hair piped. "The baby's awake." _

_"It's alright, darling." a silhouette with long flowing hair said softly, reaching into the bassinet. "Mommy is here." _

In a flash, Lapis's eyes shot open and she awoke in a cold sweat, crying out. Upon coming to, she found Jamie, Stevonnie, Rose Quartz, and Fluorite gazing upon her.

"You're awake!" Stevonnie beamed, excitedly. "Finally!"

"Thank goodness." Jamie said, lightly hugging his girlfriend. "I was getting worried."

"What happened?" the blue mermaid asked, looking around and finding herself in the healer mermaids' nook again. "Why am I back here?"

"You lost a good amount of blood after taking that leech bath, not to mention that cut on your arm." Fluorite answered. "So your friends brought back you back here to help you recuperate. We owe credit for your rescue to that Lars boy."

"I feel so dizzy." the blue mermaid groaned, holding her head.

"Loss of blood will do that to you." Rose Quartz told her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jamie asked Lapis. "You looked pretty freaked out when you woke up."

"I just had a dream about my birth mom." she explained. "I remember her even though I didn't see her face clearly."

Then, she noticed that Steven, Connie, and her mermaid friends were missing and asked, "Where's everybody else?"

"Steven and Connie are sleeping with your dad on the Mermaid's Cradle." her boyfriend replied. "And the other mermaids are sleeping by the edge of the reef. But I didn't want to leave your side so I stayed here."

"Aww, Jamie; that's so sweet of you." Lapis said, blushing.

"Time to take your medicine." Rose Quartz announced as she fed a spoonful of thick syrup to bedridden mermaid. "This will help relieve the pain from your wounds. Just to warn you, it will make you sleepy."

Jamie then started to brush his fingers on the blue mermaid's arm and shoulder, slowly and lovingly.

"Knock it off, Jamie." Lapis slurred, giggling drowsily as the affects of the medicine kicked in. "You're making me feel sleepy enough as it is..."

It didn't take too long for the blue mermaid to drift off to sleep. Her boyfriend continued to caress her side as she snored softly.

_Back in the dream world, Lapis heard an evil, masculine chuckle ring in her ears. She was all too familiar with that chuckle. And there was the horrifying Jasper in the living flesh. _

_"I see you can't stop thinking about me, my princess." he purred, wickedly. _

_"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Lapis asked, flinching as the masculine sea witch attempted to rub her shoulders. _

_"Because you're afraid of me." Jasper whispered seductively in the girl's ear. "And of all places, your mind is the one place where you can't escape from your fears." _

_The sea witch's son traced his hands slowly across the mermaid's skin to seduce her, but Lapis shuddered with fright, too afraid to be swayed by Jasper's charm. _

_Before she knew it, the monsterous suitor had one hand holding her chin and the other held the back of her head. Then, he closed his eyes, leaned his face in, and puckered his lips. That was when Lapis realized that the masculine sea witch was going to kiss her. She wanted to push Jasper back with her arms, but the young mermaid was too paralyzed with fear to move a muscle. The male sea witch pressed his lips roughly into Lapis's own lips as tears streamed down her face. _

Lapis screamed as she awoke and sat up in her temporary bed.

"Lapis, what's wrong?" Jamie inquired, feeling alarmed by the way his girlfriend woke up. Her awakening had also alerted the healer mermaids.

"I had a nightmare about Jasper again." the blue mermaid sobbed as she wrapped her arms around the teenage boy, crying into his chest. "He won't stop tormenting me. Why does he want me so bad?"

Poor Lapis didn't know what made her head hurt more: the loss of blood or the dreams that haunted her.

"If you really want to know about Jasper and your mom, you should go see the Keeper." Rose Quartz said, after the healer mermaids conversed silently amongst each other.

"The who?" the young mermaid asked, sniffling.

"The Keeper of Truths and Fortunes." Fluorite spoke. "She is a mermaid with the biggest recollection of events in mermaid history ever. She may have the answers you're looking for."

"Try to get some rest, dear." Rose Quartz advised the girl. "It will help you recover from the blood loss."

"I don't think I can go back to sleep." Lapis admitted, still feeling jumpy from her bad dream.

"You're just suffering from post nightmare stress." Stevonnie verified, approaching the jittery mermaid. "My mentors taught me this trick to help sick mermaids who were too anxious to fall asleep. It'll help quiet the negative thoughts that trigger your bad dreams and help you sleep peacefully."

"Hey, would it help if I played your locket's lullaby?" asked Jamie, kindly.

"You know me so well." Lapis giggled as she took off her necklace and handed to him.

The teenage boy opened the locket and set it on a small table next to the bed. The blue mermaid snuggled into her boyfriend's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her as the locket's tinkling lullaby played.

Then, a warm-looking white light surrounded Stevonnie's hands as she pressed them gently into Lapis's back. The warm light sank into her back, traveled up her vertebrae, and into her subconscious. The young mermaid could feel her dark fears being drowned out by warm, positive energy.

Lapis gave a soft yawn as her eyes fluttered closed and she slipped into a peaceful slumber. Jamie rubbed the blue girl's skin gently as she slept, looking down at her as if she was a precious child and kissed the top of her head. He thought that if he could do anything to fight away the fears that plagued his girlfriend, he would. But for now, the best thing he could for her was be there to comfort her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Keeper of Truths and Fortunes

The next morning, Lapis, Jamie, Steven, Connie and the other mermaids were swimming to find the dwelling of the Keeper mermaid which was in a small kelp forest.

"According to the healer mermaids' directions, the Keeper's fortress should be right around here." Lapis said to everyone.

Sure enough, the group had arrived at a forest of kelp. It was supposed to be hiding the Keeper's fortress like a green curtain.

"Who goes there?" a small voice boomed.

The group was greeted by a short, fiery-looking mermaid who emerged from the kelp fronds. She had dark burgundy hair, black eyes, bright scarlet skin, and a glittering red tail. She wore a maroon headband and a matching top.

"Hi there." Lapis greeted her in a friendly tone. "What's your name?"

"That's beside the point." said the red mermaid, ducking the question. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see the Keeper if you don't mind letting us by." Peridot informed her.

"No visitors today." she said, turning the group down. "Come back later."

"Ruby, how many times have I told you not to do that?" a voice called to the red mermaid.

From the kelp, a colorful mermaid came forth to meet the visitors. She looked around twenty-five years old and had red and blue eyes with a purple eye that looked like it was painted on her forehead. She also had purplish-maroon skin, curly hot pink and light blue hair, a purple and indigo top, and a shimmering majenta tail.

"My name is Garnet and you'll have to forgive my protégé." the colorful mermaid apologized. "She's not used to talking to other mermaids. She's never tried making friends."

"Well, it's never too late to start." said Lapis, talking pity on Ruby. "Anyway, you must be the Keeper. My name is-"

"Lapis Lazuli." Garnet cut her off. "You are the mermaid who was transformed as a baby and was adopted by a human family as protection from the monsterous sea witches Malachite and Jasper. You have come here to learn the truth about your mother, have you not?"

"Wow, you're good." the teenage blue mermaid said, impressed. "So what can you tell me about her?"

"If all of you wouldn't mind, I would like to speak with Lapis in private." Garnet asked Ruby and Lapis's group of friends.

The young blue mermaid give the other mermaids and humans a crestfallen look. She felt bad about leaving her friends behind and scared to be alone.

"It'll be okay." Jamie assured her, holding her hands. "We'll be right here waiting until you get back."

The two lovers shared a quick kiss on the lips before Lapis parted with Garnet into the kelp forest.

The young mermaid soon found herself in what looked like a fortune teller's shack with a crystal ball in the center of the room, plush chairs, scrolls, and jewels hanging from the ceiling.

"Have a seat, Lapis." Garnet offered as she sat down herself. "Now, to understand why Jasper is obsessed with capturing you, you must first understand his mother, Malachite."

"What does Malachite have to do with Jasper?" asked Lapis, settling into a chair of her own.

"Long before you were born, Malachite was a mermaid born with weak magic, but a knack for alchemy." Garnet explained to the young mermaid. "But being good at making potions didn't make up for the lack of strength in magic she had. All she wanted was to be as strong as the other mermaids. So instead putting in practice and hard work, she decided to gain magic the easy way, by making a potion for it."

Flashback:

_Malachite was working in the potion lab of her home back when she was a mermaid. She kept adding ingredients into her ever-growing potion bubbling in the cauldron. As she was making it, the broiling cauldron seemed to react to Malachite's impatience, ambition, and obsession with power and that was when things started to go wrong. The cauldron began to shake and rattle which did not go unnoticed by Malachite. Then before she could react, the potion in the cauldron exploded and Malachite screamed as she was caught in the crossfire. _

"In the midst of making her potion, Malachite was caught in a tragic accident." Garnet continued. "The potion explosion did give her stronger powers, but it also inflicted her with a terrible curse. She lost her tail which was replaced with a net of tentacles. The potion also twisted her mind which planted the seed of a new ambition: to rule over all mermaids."

_Malachite's twisted cackles started off quiet at first, but then grew in octave and volume as her new form was revealed. She was no mermaid anymore, she was now a sea witch. _

"Over the years, Malachite used her twisted magic to lure and trap innocent and unsuspecting mermaids." The Keeper went on. "Sometimes she would drain their powers, but mostly the captured mermaids were used as a threat to the mermaid queen to step down from her throne for their safety."

"That's awful." Lapis commented. "So what did the queen do about it?"

"She sent her royal guards to apprehend Malachite so that the sea witch could be tried for her crimes." the Keeper explained. "Despite calls for her imprisonment, the sea witch was only banished from Iridesca, never to be heard from again. But fourteen years ago, we learned that Malachite had a son named Jasper and that's where you come in."

"What are you talking about?" the younger mermaid asked, feeling confused.

"I'm going to take you on a journey through time, dear child." said the Keeper as she put a glowing hand on each side of Lapis's head. She spoke in a soothing voice. "Close your eyes. Now, empty all thoughts from your mind as you follow the sound of my voice. Let yourself go from all that is happening around you. Leave the present-day behind and recall your time of disant youth."

Lapis close her eyes and started to empty her mind. Soon, she felt like her brain was going numb as she felt the world slip away from her. She almost felt like she was falling asleep. When the blue mermaid opened her eyes again, she saw that she and Garnet were the middle of a gleaming underwater city.

"Where are we?" she asked the Keeper.

"The kingdom of Iridesca." the older mermaid said.

"We're really here?" Lapis inquired, getting excited.

"No." answered Garnet. "This is a vision of events that have happened over thirteen years ago. We are here in spirit."

Just then, the two mermaids saw the masculine sea witch, Jasper arrive on the scene. There, they witnessed him confront two mermaids of which Lapis did not know, but were also strangely familiar. One mermaid who was holding a baby was tall and blue, while the other was short and pink, but they both looked very regal.

"Greetings, Your Majesties." Jasper said, bowing politely. "Charmed to finally meet you in person."

"And just who might you be?" the tall mermaid asked as she held the young child.

"My name is Jasper." the male sea witch explained. "You may not know me, but I assume you are familiar with my mother, Malachite."

"That's impossible." the royal blue mermaid argued. "In all the time that Malachite was banished, we never knew that she had a son."

"If I may interrupt, sister; but why have you come here, Jasper?" the short pink mermaid but in.

"I've come to the kingdom of Iridesca to seek a mermaid to be my bride." explained Jasper. "But, I have no interest in marrying one of your royal subjects, oh no. My mermaid of choice...is her." He pointed at the baby that was cradled in the tall mermaid's arm.

"Lapis Lazuli?" she questioned in shock. "Absolutely not!"

"_That baby was me_?" Lapis thought in surprise as she and Garnet continued to watch everything.

"Lapis is far too young to marry, especially to the likes of you." the younger mermaid disputed.

"I'm sorry, Jasper." the tall mermaid stated, her mind made up. "But having Lapis be your bride is out of the question."

"Well, I was hoping to be able to reason with you, Queen Hope." said the sea witch, disappointed. "But it seems you leave me no choice but to take your child by force."

One of Jasper's tentacles wrapped around baby Lapis and pulled her out of Queen Hope's arms. The baby cried loudly the moment she was separated from the mermaid queen. Queen Hope's younger sister reclaimed baby Lapis from Jasper's grasp as the royal guard arrived to capture the ill-boding invader. Then, Queen Hope and her sister seized the opportunity to escape with the mermaid baby in tow.

The scenery blurred until it showed the surface world where Lapis and Garnet saw Queen Hope, her sister, and baby Lapis (who was transformed into a human and wrapped in a warm blanket) near the shore of Beach City.

"Isn't my mother supposed to be here?" the young blue mermaid asked the Keeper.

"Lapis Lazuli, my beautiful, precious child." Queen Hope said softly to the transformed baby as Lapis gasped in bewilderment. "I know it will be hard for you to grow up without a mother to watch over you, but I wouldn't love you anymore if I wasn't willing to make this sacrifice."

The mermaid queen then used her magic to create a large clam shell, placed her baby inside, and pushed on the water, letting the tide push baby Lapis towards the shore.

"Are you sure about this, Hope?" asked the young pink mermaid, feeling unsure.

"It's what's best for our dear child, Pink." Queen Hope answered.

Poor Lapis was in absolute disbelief about she just learned. She clutched the sides of her head in shock as she said, "My mother is the mermaid queen. Then, that means... I'm...a princess."

Just then, the monstrous face of Jasper flashed in her head continuously, his evil cackle ringing in her ears. The young mermaid screamed in pure terror before she fainted from panic.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Drowning in Stress

"Lapis, wake up!" the faint voice of the Keeper echoed. Lapis awoke in the chair she was sitting in at Garnet's fortress. Her head was spinning and then she remembered what she witnessed before her very eyes and the disquieting information she just discovered.

"My birth mother is the queen of mermaids." the young said, her voice barely a whisper. "I am a princess."

"I'm so sorry you had to find out this way." Garnet told her, sympathetically. She tried put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Lapis quickly swam away and out of the Keeper's fortress in a fit of self doubt.

Her group of friends who were still waiting outside for her saw that the blue teenage had returned to them, looking like she was about to cry.

"Lapis, what happened?" Steven asked, seeing his big sister so sad.

"I am the princess of Iridecsa." Lapis answered before raising her voice in a mix of anger and grief. "My mom is Queen Hope!"

"WHAT!?" Amethyst said, mouth agape as the other mermaids and Lapis' human friends gasped in surprise. The young blue mermaid whimpered softly before she quickly swam away in total devastation, seeking a place that was out of way to cry to herself.

"Lapis, wait!" Jamie cried, trying to stop his girlfriend from swimming off. However, Connie and Steven held his arms to stop him.

"Hold on, Jamie." the little human girl said to Jamie. "Lapis looks like she needs some time alone."

"I don't like the idea of Lapis being alone for too long in this great big ocean." the teenage boy conveyed, trying to free himself from the grip of the younger kids.

"Me neither." agreed Pearl. "Especially with a character like Jasper lurking around. We better get Mr. Universe and follow Lapis. She was swimming southwest so let's head off that way."

Lapis had found a flat rock sticking out of the water's surface and sat there, hugging her tail and sobbing. But then, she lifted her now tear-stained face when she heard the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, "Lapis?"

"Dad?" she answered, realizing that it was her adopted father. And sure enough, the Mermaid's Cradle was pulling into her view. Surrounding the ship, the heads of the princess's human and mermaid friends emerged from the surface of the boat.

"Your friends told me that you swam off, feeling upset." Greg said. "Are you okay?"

"Dad, I'm sure you didn't know so it's not your fault." Lapis told him after she composed herself a little bit. "But how could you not know that my mother was the queen of mermaids."

"What?" the mermaid's father questioned, being taken by surprise by what his daughter confessed. "Okay, someone needs to fill me on all this."

Lapis had used her locket to transform into a human so that she could get on the Mermaid's Cradle and talk to her dad. She filled Greg in on the events of the young mermaid's past the Keeper mermaid showed her, including the fact that she had a queen for a mother, a princess for an aunt; and that she is a princess herself.

"And that's it." the young princess said, wrapping up the story.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in." Greg admitted, laughing nervously after getting all caught up.

"Yeah, I know." Lapis replied, heavyheartedly as she turned to the side with a sad look on her face. "How couldn't I have been aware of my own birth right?"

"Are you okay, sweetie?" her adopted father asked distressed daughter.

"It's just that I can't believe how shortsighted I've been about my origin and my family." the mermaid princess admitted grief-stricken, putting her face in her hands. "I feel like an idiot."

"Lapis, you were only a baby." Greg mentioned, comforting his adopted daughter by putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. There's no way you could've known or remember something like that."

"I guess so." the blue girl agreed, calming down.

"You're not mad at your mom, are you?" her dad asked her.

"No, I'm not mad at her and she did what was best for me anyway." Lapis answered, softly. "I'm not mad at anybody. I'm just confused and really stressed out, and not just because I'm being stalked by a crazed, masculine sea witch who wants me to marry me against my will. The thing is, I thought I finally got it, like I understand who I am and where I come from, but for some reason I feel even more lost now."

The kind human man opened his arms for an awaiting embrace, which Lapis gratefully accepted. There was a brief moment of silence between father and daughter.

"Do you still want to find your mom?" Greg inquired, breaking the silence.

"Yes." the blue girl answered, confidently standing up. "Yes, absolutely. Now that I know the truth about my birth mother, I want to hear from her side of the story. It's all the more reason why I want to reunite with her."

Despite the emotional baggage that the young princess now carried, Lapis was more determined than ever to get back to her birth family. She was not ready to abandon the quest now, especially since she and her friends have made it this far.

She rushed over to the railing of the boat and called out to her friends, "Guys, the journey is not over yet. We're only a few ways closer to Iridesca, so let's get back to going with the flow!"

The mermaids and the human kids cheered full of relief as Lapis dove back into the ocean and use her magic locket to transform into a mermaid once more.

"We are mermaid kingdom bound!" Amethyst hollered at the top of her lungs.

The group of friends continued on the path of the compass underwater, but not before Lapis shouted out to Greg, "Hey, Dad!"

"Yeah, Lapis?" he responded.

"Thanks." the mermaid princess replied back, smiling warmly at him.

Lapis felt very lucky to have Greg as her adopted father. Whenever things got weird for Lapis that she couldn't share with Jamie, she'd share with him. Greg would always be there for Lapis to vent to and give valuable advice (and even a comforting hug) in return.

"Good luck, kiddo." he said to his adopted daughter before she submerged into the waves.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Arriving in Iridesca

After swimming for several yards, Pearl announced to the group, "Good news, everyone we should be arriving at Iridesca any moment now."

"This is so exciting." Connie beamed. "What do you think, Lapis?"

"I'm looking forward to getting to my birthplace." Lapis said truthfully, looking down at her compass as she swam. "But this compass doesn't tell how much closer we are to the kingdom. It is favoring north lately so that should be a sign that the kingdom's straight ahead."

"Lapis?" Jamie spoke, sounding like he had his breath taken away. "Lapis?"

"Yeah, what is it?" his girlfriend asked looking up. She gasped, completely awestruck just as everybody else was. "Iridesca." Opal breathed. "I can't believe we're finally here." Peridot said happily, Amethyst, Steven, and Smoky Quartz nodding in agreement.

"I'm...I'm home." Lapis said softly, feeling like she was welling up with joy.

The group of eleven approached the gate that led into the city of mermaids when suddenly, there were stopped in their tracks by a large shape.

"Halt!" a firm voice ordered. "State your business here."

The friends found themselves face to face with a bulky-looking mermaid who looked around thirty years old. She had grayish periwinkle skin, black eyes, and rainbow-colored dreadlocks. She wore a strapless red top and had a light red tail.

"Who is she?" Steven asked, feeling a little intimidated by this stern-looking mermaid.

"That's Bismuth, the captain of the royal guard." Smoky Quartz explained to the younger human boy.

"Look, ma'am." said Lapis, trying to reason with Bismuth. "I know you're just doing your job, but we don't have time for this. We wish to seek audience with Queen Hope."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Bismuth replied as sternly as ever. "We don't like strange mermaids or humans entering our dwelling."

"Please, you have to let us into the kingdom." Pearl begged, trying to slip past the multicolor-haired mermaid. "We really need to see the queen."

"No outsiders are allowed in Iridesca!" the captain of the royal guard declared, raising her voice.

The eleven were taken aback, Lapis quivering in Jamie's arms.

"Sapphire!" a small voice cried out.

From behind Bismuth, a mermaid the same height as Sapphire swam forth. She looked over fourteen years old just like Sapphire and had a peachy orange complexion and short pale peach hair with bangs that hid her eyes. She wore a dark orange top with light orange tulle sleeves that sagged down to her arms and a shimmering orange tail.

"Padparadscha!" Sapphire cried, recognizing and hugging the orange mermaid.

"Everybody, this is my twin sister, Padparadscha." she said, introducing the short orange mermaid to her friends.

"It's so nice to meet you." Padparadscha said, warmly.

"Hello, Padparadscha." Rhodonite greeted Sapphire's sister in a friendly manner.

"You don't look that much alike." Connie observed, raising an eyebrow.

"We're fraternal twins." Sapphire told her, clearing things up to which the young human girl nodded in response.

"Bismuth, you can't keep these mermaids out." said Padparadscha to the very large mermaid. "They're my sister and her friends."

"But what about those four?" asked Bismuth, pointing at Lapis, Jamie, Steven, and Connie, still feeling skeptical about them.

"They are with us." Peridot told her. "We assure you, they mean no harm."

"Let us go by." the blue princess pleaded, desperately. "I have some valuable information about the queen's long lost daughter."

"How would you know that?" the captain of the royal guard questioned. "Unless... No. Oh my gosh. You're Queen Hope's long-lost daughter!"

"Yes, that's me." Lapis blushed.

"Well in that case, access granted." Bismuth declared, restoring the hope in the princess and her friends as the very large mermaid opened the gate to the glistening city. "Oh, and no hard feelings; right?"

"Oh, of course." the princess smiled, genuinely. "You have my full pardon."

She waved goodbye to a very relieved Bismuth as she and her friends entered the mermaid's grand city.

The group of twelve swam through the swim ways, other mermaids were either swimming along, minding their own business or watching the group of friends. Lapis wondered if the mermaids that were watching them were eying the three humans that were accompanying her. All the underwater buildings looked as if they were made of gold and although the kingdom was a little out of reach from sunlight, the city seemed to glow all on it's own.

"Wow." Connie breathed. "I have pictures of mermaid kingdoms in books at home, but they're nothing compared to the real deal."

"So Lapis, what's it like to be back in the place of your birth?" Jamie asked the mermaid princess.

"It's beautiful, but I still find it a little daunting that I'm royalty." Lapis admitted to her boyfriend, looking down as she swam.

"Okay, straight ahead to the queen's castle." Sapphire told everyone as kept swimming forward.

Once the group entered the castle (after gaining access inside by the royal guards) the friends wandered aimlessly through the halls, trying to find the throne room.

"Don't any of you know where the queen's throne room is?" Lapis asked her fellow mermaids, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Give us a break." Amethyst shot back. "It's not like we've ever been in this castle either."

"Well, there's got to somebody in here who knows how to get to the throne room." Steven remarked.

"What's all the commotion?" a voice echoed through the halls.

A mermaid no taller than Lapis, but looked around thirty five arrived on the scene. She had light denim colored skin, deep blue eyes, a blue translucent monocle, light blue hair that almost curled over her left eye, a blue top with shoulder pads, and a gleaming light blue tail.

"Outsiders?" the mermaid said, aghast. "And humans? In the castle?"

"Excuse me." Lapis spoke up. "Who are you?"

"My name is Zircon." the new mermaid answered. "I am Queen Hope's royal advisor. Now, explain to me what you unauthorized mermaids are doing, wandering around the castle."

"I can't exactly explain every detail, so I'm just going to make this short and sweet." the young princess simplified, quickly. "I need to speak to Queen Hope. I am her long-lost daughter. Can you show us the way to the throne room?"

For a brief moment, Zircon didn't respond. She was just frozen in complete shock with her mouth hanging open.

Finally, she replied shakily, "Of course, follow me."

She lead the group of twelve down the halls until they approached a large, fancy-looking door.

"Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond are just through there." the royal advisor stated.

Lapis advanced to the door and grabbed one of the handles. But when she tried to pull on it, she was surprised to find that the door wouldn't budge open.

"It's locked." she groaned.

"Of course it's locked." Zircon told the blue princess, obviously aware of the situation. "The queen locks the door for protection. And without her magic to open it, you need a special key to unlock it."

Lapis and her friends gazed around the area in hopes of finding a key hanging around.

"I don't see any keys around here." Rhodonite declared, the other mermaids nodding in agreement.

"So that's it?" said Pearl, assuming everyone felt like giving up. "We didn't come this far just to be halted by a roadblock."

"What do you expect us to do?" Peridot asked, indignantly. "We have no key."

Apart from everyone else, Lapis began to notice that the lock to the door had a strangely-shaped keyhole. It was the same shape as her locket.

"Maybe we _do_ have a key." the princess proclaimed, getting an idea. She removed the locket from around her neck and inserted into the keyhole.

The necklace began to glow and when Lapis heard the tumblers in the lock turn, she knew that she was now able to open the door. The mermaid princess smiled in triumph and her friends cheered for the blue girl.

"Good thinking, Lapis." Jamie complimented to his girlfriend.

Lapis blushed modestly as she removed her locket from the keyhole and placed it around her neck again. The young princess gripped a door handle in each hand and took a deep breath. She knew that she was only one door away from meeting her birth mother and aunt, and she was in full anticipation to see the faces of her original family once again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Trapped and Kidnapped

Lapis was still at the door to Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond's throne room in full preparation to pull the door handles. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest and her gripped hands were shaking. The poor blue girl didn't know if she was emotionally ready to meet her birth mother and aunt, and so without a word; Lapis quickly released her grip on the door handles, left the Compass of the Undines behind, and swam off; crying.

"Lapis, come back." Jamie cried, trying to pursue her.

"What was that?" asked Amethyst, unable to comprehend why Lapis just fled.

"I don't understand." Peridot spoke, feeling puzzled. "What happened? I thought she was really looking forward to meeting her birth mom."

"Well, imagine how you would feel if you were Lapis' place." Connie said to the green mermaid. "Didn't you see how petrified she looked? I think she needs some time to calm down."

"We have to go after her." Opal informed the group. "Without the Compass of the Undines, she'll be wandering around the ocean and not know where she's going."

"But every mermaid knows the way back to Iridesca instinctually." Padparadscha said, not knowing what exactly was going on.

"Not unless you're a mermaid who's lived on the surface for your entire childhood." Steven brought up as the mermaids and humans set off to bring Lapis back.

* * *

Meanwhile, the distraught princess was swimming far away from the mermaid kingdom. She had so much of a worry-scattered mind, she didn't care how fast she was swimming or what direction she was swimming _in_. Lapis looked up to the surface, hoping to find her adopted father's boat. Maybe if she talked to her dad, he could ease her stressed nerves. But to her dismay, there was no sign of the bottom of the hull of the Mermaid's Cradle. Not only was the poor mermaid lost, but she was literally all alone.

While being lost and alone in the big, wide ocean was bad for Lapis, it was good for Jasper and Malachite who were watching her through the viewing bubble.

"Mmm, she's alone." Malachite purred, sinisterly. "At last. No humans or other mermaids to interfere."

"No disrespect, Mother." Jasper spoke. "But I don't think we'll ever be able to catch the princess. She's managed to overcome every obstacle and escape every trap."

"Not yet, my son." the sea witch said to him. "She may have gotten past every hardship up until this point, but there is one last resort. I assure you not even Princess Lapis Lazuli can escape my Tickler's Snare."

"Excellent idea, Mother." the male sea witch commented, his face forming a twisted smile. "I'll be waiting nearby, hiding in wake. When Lapis stumbles into the snare, I'll spring into action and bring her here. This time, she'll be as good as ours."

He took off and went to meet the young princess halfway.

Lapis was still swimming astray, looking down and clutching the sides of her head. She was completely unaware that she was in the midst of crashing into a thick growth of seaweed. Of course she didn't know what she was swimming into until it was too late.

That was when the young mermaid noticed something particularly unusual about this seaweed. It seemed to be strangely slimy and the goo that trickled from the plants seemed to be sensitizing her skin and tail, making them feel terribly itchy.

Just before Lapis could scratch any part of her now crawling body, she felt her hands and lower tail being tied in place, immobilizing the poor young mermaid. And then, some especially feathery leaves of seaweed began to brush her hypersensitive skin and tail, prompting her to burst into giggles. The odd seaweed almost seemed to react to the mermaid's chuckles because the tickling started getting worse. It teased her armpits, her exposed belly, behind her ears, under her chin, even on the scales of her tail.

"No, please!" Lapis cried as she laughed harder. "Let me go! I can't take this!" Of course, the seaweed didn't listen to her pleas and proceed to tickle the blue girl without stopping. Not far away, Jasper was swimming and paused when he heard the sound of a young girl laughing hysterically.

"The princess has been caught." the male sea witch said, giving a throaty chuckle. "Just like Mother said."

And with that, he picked up speed and followed the sound of the young mermaid's uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

Meanwhile Lapis' friends were searching the ocean for the missing princess.

"Oh, we're never going to find her." Rhodonite proclaimed, hopelessly. "This ocean is huge. She could be anywhere by now."

"We can't give up yet." said Steven, trying to stay positive. "I know my sister's out there somewhere."

"Let's just hope she swam in a straight line." Jamie added, feeling a concerned for his girlfriend. Back at the ticklish trap, the seaweed kept on harassing Lapis' tingly skin and the young princess was roaring with laughter like she was going out of her mind. Every now and then, she would even scream with insanity.

"Stop it, please!" she begged, breathlessly, still guffawing. "This is driving me crazy!"

Pretty soon, Jasper had arrived on the scene, slowly approaching the blue mermaid like a tiger stalking his prey. Lapis who had her eyes clenched shut, blinked them open to see the monstrous sea witch hovering over her ominously as if he were a frightening storm cloud. The poor girl was no longer feeling tortured amusedly, now she was in utter terror as she screamed purely horrified.

"You're real and you're really here." the mermaid princess stuttered as she hyperventilated fearfully.

"How nice to see you too, my dear." the masculine sea witch replied in a hushed evil tone.

At the snap of his fingers, not only did Lapis feel herself nodding off; but the seaweed ceased tickling and unrestrained her as well. The unconscious princess's body sank into the arms of the villainous Jasper who caressed the girl's face lovingly.

"After nearly fourteen years, you are finally mine." he purred as he took in the sleeping mermaid's gorgeous features and held her in a bridal style.

"Let your friends try to rescue you, my lovely." Malachite's son spoke, dastardly as he removed Lapis' birth locket and dropped it a foot away from the seaweed that ensnared her. He laughed evilly, but quietly so as not to wake his charming captive as he swam away with her, just as soon as he said, "We've got her now, Mother."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Prisoner of Lust

Lapis opened her eyes, awaking from her slumber with a throbbing headache. Once her vision fell into focus, she found that there were chains hanging from steel cuffs that were on her wrists. She also found that she was in a daunting dungeon-like cave and wondered while shivering how she got here. The teenage mermaid remembered being literally tickled into exhaustion, seeing Jasper, the very masculine sea witch that haunted her in her nightmares; and then falling asleep.

Just then, Lapis gasped when she saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring at her from the shadows. When the glowing eyes drew closer, the owner of the eyes turned out to be the male sea witch himself, in the living flesh. The poor young princess was shuddering with dread so badly, it made her chains jingle.

"I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming." she softly said, repeatedly.

"It's so wonderful that you could join me in my humble abode." Jasper told the blue girl, sounding like a courteous host. "I was beginning to fear that this day would never come."

"You know, it's new for me to see you outside of my nightmares." the young mermaid shuddered.

"Oh, but we've met while you were awake before actually." the male sea witch spoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lapis said, feeling puzzled.

"Do you remember being abducted by a crew of pirates led by a frightening-looking captain?" he inquired to mermaid princess.

Lapis recalled every moment of that bone-chilling experience, from being swept up in a fishing net; to almost having her blood sucked dry by leeches. But then, she gasped upon epiphany when she realized, "You were that captain!?"

Lapis was so apprehensive of the ill-boding character as he drew closer, her instincts told her to flee without haste. But when she tried to swim away, she found that the chains were holding her back and she turned behind her and saw that they were attached to the wall just a few feet away. With no means of escape, all the princess could was fearfully curl up in a ball.

That was when she noticed that her neck was bare and she was horrified to discover that she was not wearing her birth locket.

"My locket!" the blue mermaid panicked. "What have you done with my locket?! I can't be without it!"

"That troublesome locket and those irritating friends of yours have gotten in our way for far too long." Jasper answered, giving a small scowl.

"_Our_ way?" Lapis questioned, noticing that the male sea witch was including somebody else.

"Oh, that's right." the masculine sea witch realized. "You haven't met my mother yet. She's been dying to get to know you live and person."

He snapped his fingers and the chains from the wall disconnected from Lapis' cuffs and a new, shorter chain appeared connecting the two cuffs. Then, he grabbed the young princess firmly by the arm and dragged her with him out of the cold, cave.

The two of them soon arrived in a dimly lit, creepy-looking throne room.

"Mother, the princess is here!" Jasper hollered in a singsong tone. "Ah, Princess Lapis Lazuli." Malachite proclaimed as she entered the room. "We finally meet at last."

The young mermaid was taken aback by the sea witch's arrival. She looked more fearsome than Garnet had described her when the princess visited the Keeper's fortress. Of course, the blue girl found Malachite's son more frightening than Malachite herself, as odd as it was.

"You must be Malachite." Lapis tried to say despite the fact that she was shivering in her shackles.

"And I see that we have no need for formal introductions now." the dreaded sea witch replied.

"What do you want from me?" the blue princess asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Oh, it's what not _I_ want, dear child." answered Malachite, stroking under the girl's chin with one of her bony fingers. "It's what Jasper wants. I'm just looking forward to seeing my soon-to-be daughter-in-law rule over Iridesca and the rest of the ocean alongside my son as his queen."

"Excuse me?" Lapis said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Lapis Lazuli, my dear princess." Jasper purred, seductively. "I've been entranced by your exceptional beauty ever since the moment that I first laid my eyes on you. And I want nothing more than for you to be my bride."

"What, no!" the blue princess exclaimed. "I mean, I'm not surprised. I definitely knew this was coming, but I can't marry you. I'm just a kid."

"Oh, when you're in love with the most alluring girl in the sea, you can overlook anything." the masculine sea witch responded.

"But, I really wanted to meet my birth mom." Lapis insisted. "And I almost did until I ran away from the castle crying like some scared, little baby."

"Well, your mommy is never going to see you again, you miserable, little brat!" snapped Malachite, losing her patience.

"Mother, please." Jasper whisper-shouted. "You're scaring the princess."

"Plus, I've got other family and friends who don't know where I am and are already worried sick about me." the young girl added. "And, I'm already in love with somebody else. He's the sweetest, most charming boy in the whole wide world."

"Ugh, I find it repulsive that you love a human being over me." the sea witch's son said in disgust. "But, we'll soon fix that. Isn't that right, Mother?"

Jasper and Malachite both grinned corrupted smiles and turned to the blue mermaid princess, still showing their teeth.

"_I've got a bad feeling about this_." she thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group of Lapis' human and mermaid friends were still searching for the runaway princess, but so far, they were no clues that would lead to Lapis or any sign of Lapis herself.

"Where could she be?" asked Rhodonite, feeling stressed from worry.

"She couldn't have gone too far." Peridot replied, looking around for the lost, blue mermaid.

"Maybe she's on the other side of that thick seaweed." Jamie suggested as he swam towards the green, almost-opalescent growth of seaweed.

"No, Jamie!" Pearl cried as she wrapped her arms around the teenage boy's stomach and chest, bringing him to a halt. "Don't go near that stuff."

"Why not?" Connie inquired. "What's wrong with it?"

"That seaweed is called Tickler's Snare." Smoky Quartz explained. "Malachite planted it with some of her dark magic to capture especially hard-to-catch mermaids. Any mermaid that gets caught in it will literally have their breath tickled out of them."

"Yikes." Steven commented, feeling freaked out. "I hope Lapis didn't get stuck in that."

"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble, but..." Amethyst said, solemnly as picked up something she found on the seafloor and showed it to the others.

"That's Lapis' locket!" Jamie exclaimed, rushing over and taking the necklace from the purple mermaid. He stared his girlfriend's trinket full of sorrow and spoke softly, "Lapis, no."

* * *

Back at the sea witch's lair, Lapis was free from her shackles. But now, she was being held in the tentacles of Jasper to keep her from escaping as the male sea witch caressed her body as if she were a love doll. The brushing of Jasper's fingers made goosebumps form on the blue mermaid princess's skin and sent chills down her spine, but these weren't chills of seduction; they were chills of pure fear.

All of a sudden, Malachite dropped in with a medium-sized bottle of blackish-red, bubbling liquid.

"It's ready." the sea witch announced.

"What's ready?" asked Lapis, feeling nervous for what was about to happen. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh, this is just a little concoction I made to make sure you cooperate." Malachite explained as she handed the bottle to Jasper. "Here you go, son."

"Why, thank you; Mother." he said, gratefully as he took the potion bottle.

"Wait a second." the blue girl spoke up. "I thought you were going to make _me_ take the potion."

"Of course, you're taking the potion." the masculine sea witch told her. "I just think that there is a way to do it that's more interesting."

He popped the cork off the bottle and raised the potion to his lips. The sea witch's son took a sip of the noxious-looking liquid, much to Lapis' disgust; but he didn't swallow it. Instead, Jasper leaned in towards the young princess's face and puckered his lips. The damsel in distress felt a disturbing case of deja vu as the male sea witch gripped the back of her head with one of his beefy hands. Poor Lapis' fear was at it's peak.

Then, Jasper began to lock his lips into the little mermaid's lips, slowly; but full of lust. Lapis could feel his tongue enter her mouth and wrap around her own tongue, the sip of potion flowing past her teeth and into her mouth. Once that happened, Jasper used his free hand to tilt the young princess's head back so that the sip of potion could go down her throat.

Suddenly, Lapis began to feel very strange as she lost all means of resistance and her mind started to numb. Her memory of her friends, her adopted family, the mission she came all the way out to the ocean to complete, and worst of all; the human boy who only recently became her boyfriend started to fade. All that seemed to matter to her now was Jasper. For the very first time, she thought he looked like the most attractive man on the face of this planet. And it didn't matter to Lapis how wrong it was. She just stared at the male sea witch with a sleepy look on her face, her eyes a blurred bluish-gray and half-lidded.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: False Love VS True Love

Lapis' group of friends were approximate from the Tickler's Snare seaweed, totally devastated of what happened to the young princess.

"Looks like Jasper and Malachite finally caught up to her." said Peridot, fearing for the blue mermaid's safety.

Jamie gazed longingly at the seashell and then a glow of determination flashed in his eyes as he declared, "We have to get Lapis back."

"But how?" asked Opal, cautiously. "She's in the sea witch's lair. We don't know where it is and no mermaid would be fool enough to go to that place."

Just then, something caught Jamie's attention and everybody else followed suite. For some reason, Lapis' birth locket was stubbornly pulling in a certain direction, glowing violently.

"Maybe we might not know where the sea witch's lair is, but I think this might know how to find Lapis." the teenage boy clued to everyone.

"The locket knows the way?" Pearl questioned in disbelief. "How unprecedented."

"But how is that even possible?" added Sapphire.

"I guess since the locket is connected to Lapis, they're attracted to each other like magical magnets." Connie hypothesized.

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this but, let's follow that locket!" Amethyst proclaimed.

"Are we really going to the sea witch's lair?" Padparadscha asked, feeling uneasy about the trek ahead.

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice." Sapphire told her twin sister, earnestly as the mermaids and humans swam in the direction that the magical locket was pointing towards.

"We're coming, Lapis!" Jamie cried as he continued to hold the locket's chain.

* * *

Meanwhile at the sea witch's lair, Lapis was completely under the effects of the love potion and only cared about being in love with Jasper. She was the male sea witch's little love puppet and did or said things when Jasper demanded it.

"Now before we can begin with our ocean-wide conquest, we should get you ready for our wedding, my darling." he lectured to the enthralled mermaid.

"That sounds wonderful." she slurred as she smiled weakly.

"As last minute as it may sound, I have been planning about fourteen years into this, including your dress." the masculine sea witch added as he unfurled a curtain of kelp to reveal the blue mermaid's wedding attire.

It was a white, strapless bikini top with a long, flowing, cape-like extension in the back. It also had removable, long, frilly, white sleeves that were reminiscent to sea foam. And at the snap of Jasper's fingers, the dress appeared on the young princess, along with a lengthy filmy veil.

"You look absolutely beautiful, my dear princess." Jasper complimented as he gasped in awe of how gorgeous his bride looked.

Lapis giggled and blushed at the sea witch's flattery as she said, "Thank you, my love."

"Now, it's time to get on with the ceremony." Jasper announced as he was about to head for his mother's throne room. "I will see you at the altar, my precious; little sea angel." he cooed as he tickled the mermaid princess under her chin with his index finger. She giggled playfully in response.

As he left, Jasper took comfort in knowing that everything was finally going his way. Soon, he and his mother's plan would fall right into place.

As Lapis' friends arrived at the witch's lair, Connie remarked in surprise; "I can't believe we're here."

"Wow, the locket literally pointed us in the right direction." Smoky Quartz said in amazement.

Just then, the mermaids and humans began to hear organ music. They peered through the window that gave them a view of all the action. Down below, they could see Lapis dressed like a bride, ambling across the room to meet Jasper and Malachite waiting to meet her on the other side.

"What's going on in there?" asked Padparadscha.

"It looks like a wedding." answered Rhodonite, but was in shock when she said that. "Wait a minute."

"Are Lapis..." Amethyst started in disbelief.

"...and Jasper..." Peridot butted in.

"...getting married!?" Sapphire and Rhodonite finished in unison.

Jamie couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing and luckily, he chose not to believe it.

"She would never do this of her own free will." he told the group. "Something is very wrong here. We gotta stop that wedding."

"Wait. We can't all go in there." Opal blurted out. "Malachite and Jasper will expect a group to barge in and rescue Lapis."

"Right." agreed Pearl. "So that means only one of us can infiltrate the lair and save Lapis. Everyone else has to wait outside."

"I'll do it." Jamie declared.

"You? But why?" asked Sapphire.

"Because I was there to free Lapis from an evil spell the first time." the teenage boy answered. "And I believe I can do it again, if this is the case."

"Very well." said Opal, giving in. "Just promise you'll be careful."

"We know you can do it." added Connie, the mermaids nodding in agreement.

"Go free my sister." Steven told Jamie, encouragingly.

He gave everyone one last reassuring look and then entered the sea witch's lair, using the magical locket to guide him to his true love.

In Malachite's throne room, the elder sea witch was officiating Lapis and Jasper's arranged wedding.

"We are gathered here to join my son, Jasper and Queen Hope's daughter, Princess Lapis Lazuli in bonds of holy matrimony." she spoke. "So, if there aren't any objections, then by the power vested in me; I now-"

"STOP!" cried Jamie, bursting in just a second before the wedding could be sealed.

"What?!" the mother sea witch said in shock. "A human!? How did you find this place?"

"Never separate a girl from her most sacred treasure." he answered, presenting Lapis' birth locket before the sea witches.

"You're that human who stopped the princess from getting lured into the sirens' whirlpool!" Jasper gasped, upon recognizing Jamie.

"How dare you defile my house, human!" Malachite yelled, angrily. "This is a private ceremony!"

Jamie completely ignored the sea witches' seething rage and went to look Lapis in her now lifeless, bluish-gray eyes.

"Lapis?" he said to the blue princess. "Lapis, can you hear me?"

"Do I know you?" she asked, fatigued with a blank expression on her face.

"Come on, Lapis." the teenage boy told her with a nervous chuckle. "It's me. It's Jamie, your boyfriend."

"I don't remember having any feelings for you." the young mermaid responded, tiredly. "I only remember being in love with Jasper."

"You don't remember me?" Jamie questioned. "What about your dad? And Steven and Connie? Our mermaid friends? The quest? Your birth mom?"

"I have no memory of any of that nonsense." Lapis answered with emptiness in her voice. "All I know is that I am meant to be Jasper's queen for all eternity."

"They did this to you." the human boy said, quietly. "They used to their magic to mess with your memory."

"Enough of this noise." Malachite barked. "Be gone, human; while you can still swim out."

"Lapis, you have to snap out of it." Jamie urged his girlfriend, pay no attention to the angry sea witch. "You're not supposed to be in love with Jasper. You're in love with me. You always have been. Jasper doesn't care about you the same way that _I_ do."

He fastened the seashell locket around the mermaid princess's neck and continued, "You have to remember who you are, where you come from, who you love, and what you want most out of life. You are not Jasper's queen. You are the daughter of Queen Hope. You are a princess. You're my girlfriend and... I love you."

And to prove his love, he gave Lapis the most passionate kiss he had ever given her. The locket around her neck began to glow as if it were reacting to the kiss. Then, Lapis felt her memories flood back into her brain and her eye color return to its normal, full-of-life self. The love spell was broken and her bridal gown fell off her body like a snake's shed skin as the princess melted into the kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: A Narrow Escape

Jamie pulled away from Lapis after the affectionate kiss he just gave her and noticed that her blinking eyes are back to the ocean blue that he loved.

"Jamie?" she spoke, her voice full of emotion again.

"You remember me." the teenage boy smiled as he and the young mermaid embraced each other in a warm hug.

"Yes!" said Lapis, happily. "I remember! I remember everything!" But, happiness soon turned to sorrow when Lapis started crying. "I'm so sorry! If I said anything that might have offended you, I want you to know that I didn't mean it."

"Lapis, it's okay." Jamie calmly assured her. "I knew you didn't mean it. All along, I knew. I'm just glad you're back to normal."

"You troublesome human." Jasper growled. "You ruined everything!"

"I can't believe I almost got married to you!" Lapis scoffed angrily at the male sea witch.

"But how were you able to break the spell from the love potion?" Malachite wanted to know.

"Don't you believe in the power of a true love's kiss?" the mermaid princess asked her. "I've known Jamie for a long time. He accepts me for being me and wants me to be happy. And having _me_ in _his_ life makes _him_ happy in return. That's true love."

"Who cares about true love?" Jasper said impatiently as he approached the blue girl. "Potion or no potion, you're going to be my queen; whether you like it or not."

From the window; Steven, Connie, and the mermaids could see that she and her boyfriend needed help.

"We can't wait any longer." the young boy stated. "We gotta help Lapis and Jamie."

Connie and the mermaid nodded and followed Steven into the lair, without so much as a single argument. "Sorry, Jasper." Lapis apologized. "But I never was a fan of arranged marriages."

"Let's take Malachite's advice and get out of here while we still can." Jamie suggested as he and Lapis tried to leave.

"Not so fast!" the male sea witch exclaimed. "You may have found it easy to get in the lair, but now I challenge you to try to get out."

"We'll accept that challenge." Amethyst's voice echoed through the halls.

Jasper turned and saw that Steven, Connie, and Lapis' mermaid friends had arrived to help the blue princess. He snarled, but then laughed as if the small army of mermaids plus two young humans was a joke.

"Do you honestly think that you and your lackeys have what it takes to best my mother and I?" he asked, turning back to Lapis.

"Maybe not one-on-one, but when we band together; we're more than a match for you." the teenage, blue mermaid answered.

"Paddy, protect Steven and Connie." Sapphire told her sister. "We'll handle Jasper and Malachite."

While the sea witches used their dark magic to subdue the obtruders, Lapis and the other mermaids (minus Padparadscha) used their powers to fight back.

Smoky Quartz and Opal summoned ropes of seaweed and sand to bind Malachite while Sapphire used her ice powers to secure the ropes like a lock.

Meanwhile, Jasper was on the offensive as he attempted to attack Lapis, Pearl, Peridot, Amethyst, and Rhodonite. Rhodonite used her invisibility powers, making it hard for the male sea witch to hit her. Pearl and Peridot created mirror-like shields to bounce Jasper's magic back at him. Lapis summoned a whirlpool to through the sea witch off balance while Amethyst threw rocks at him.

"Jamie, go join Connie and Steven." the blue princess told her boyfriend. "I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"But, I wanna protect you." the teenage boy insisted.

"I know, but you don't have the kind of power that I do to do that or _any_ magic for that matter." the young mermaid replied.

Just then, Jasper regained his concentration and sent a wave of dark energy that separated Jamie and Lapis from each other. Malachite, who had broken free from her binds took full opportunity of the human boy being completely unguarded by any mermaid. She prepared to unleash a wicked blast of black magic at him while he was discombobulated.

"This is for ruining everything that my son and I worked for!" she yelled with malice which got Lapis' attention.

At the same time that she was in horror of Jamie being in danger, the young princess knew that she had to save him. Then, she remembered that when her mermaid friends were in danger from the sirens; she used her singing voice to save them. That was when she got an idea, even if it seemed like a long shot.

As Malachite was about to attack, Lapis began to sing a beautiful refrain. At first, it seemed like odd timing to the other mermaids and humans, but to their amazement; Jasper and Malachite were covering their ears with expressions of agonized pain on their faces.

"The sea witches can't stand the sound of a mermaid's singing voice." Peridot said in fascination.

"She's using her voice as a weapon against them." Opal added.

"Lapis, that's brilliant!" Pearl cried in triumph.

"Keep singing!" Steven and Connie chorused.

As the mermaid princess continued to sing, the sea witches were clutching the sides of their heads like their ears were bleeding; completely subdued by Lapis' voice. And on top of that, the whole lair began to tremble and parts of the ceiling from above started to fall to the ground. The sea witches were concealed by the cloud of dust kicked up by the falling rubble.

"The lair is collapsing!" cried Rhodonite in alarm. "We gotta get out of here!"

Before Lapis could follow everyone out of the crumbling lair, a big, beefy hand grabbed her by her lower tail. The young princess screamed from surprise and from utter fear when Jasper's frightening face emerged from the dust cloud.

"You're not going anywhere, little princess!" he said, maniacally.

The human kids noticed that Lapis was in trouble and rushed back to help her, grabbing her hands and trying to pull her free.

"Keep your hands off my sister!" Steven demanded to the male sea witch, straining.

"Lapis, do not let go of my hand!" urged Jamie, feeling like his girlfriend was losing her grip.

"I won't let go!" she promised before lowering her voice to a whisper. "I'll never let go of you again."

Suddenly the mermaid's birth locket began to shine with a rutilant light and her body gave off a blue aura that burned Jasper's hand, causing him to lose his grip on Lapis' tail.

Once she was free, the four kids swam out of the disintegrating lair as fast as they could to join the other eight mermaids who were waiting safely outside. They watched as the sea witch's lair was reduced to a pile of debris. And out of the blue, Lapis heard the sound of a feminine, blood-curdling shriek and then, all was silent.

While everyone was filled with relief that it was all over, the mermaid princess was crying and covering her mouth to keep tears from spilling into it.

"What's wrong, Lapis?" Jamie asked, noticing that his girlfriend was upset.

"It's just... I wish that Malachite had chosen love over power a long time ago." she answered, full of remorse. "Maybe then, she would still be alive and still be a mermaid."

"Maybe." he thought aloud. "Come on, let's get going."

The group of twelve swam away from the frightening wreckage. Lapis still felt a great deal of pity and regret for the sea witches who were sentenced to a watery grave as the ruined lair became smaller from view.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: A Royal Family Reunion

Lapis and company emerged from the water upon finding the Mermaid's Cradle. The ship stopped and Greg rushed over to the ship's railing. He dropped the rope ladder down so that Lapis (who transformed back into a human girl), Jamie, Steven, and Connie could climb on board.

"Lapis, are you okay?" the mermaid's father asked, worriedly as hugged her tightly. "Steven and your friends told me that you were captured."

"Don't worry, Dad." his adopted daughter reassured him. "I'm fine."

"We just rescued Lapis from the clutches of the sea witches." added Connie, hyped from the excitement.

"Well, I wouldn't have been kidnapped by them if I hadn't fled from the mermaid's castle." the mermaid princess replied feeling mad at herself.

"What do you mean?" asked Greg, puzzled. "What happened?"

"I was literally one door away from meeting my birth mother and I chickened out and ran away." she explained. "How stupid is that?"

"Lapis, nobody blames you for fleeing the castle like that." Jamie comforted his girlfriend. "You weren't being stupid, you were just scared and there's nothing stupid about that."

"Look sweetie, I can understand how daunting it is for an adopted kid when they're meeting a biological parent for the first time in so long." Greg conveyed to his adopted daughter as he put an arm around her shoulder. "It's totally normal for you to feel apprehensive about meeting your mom at first."

"You gotta try again." Steven said to his big sister.

"But, I'm still scared." the blue girl admitted as she held herself.

"I know." Jamie replied. "But you don't have to go through this alone. You've got us and the other mermaids to support you."

"That's right." agreed Connie. "We're right behind you, Lapis; every step of the way."

"Okay, I'm going back." the blue girl declared after taking a deep breath and finding her courage.

"That a girl, Lapis!" her adopted dad smiled.

"Let's go!" proclaimed Lapis as she and the other kids jumped back into the water. The blue girl re-transformed into a mermaid the moment she made contact with the ocean.

"You can do it, kiddo!" Greg cheered as she and her friends dove back under the waves again.

"Let's get back to Iridesca." Smoky Quartz said. "Which way _is_ Iridesca from here?" asked Steven, realizing how unfamiliar these waters were.

"Ugh, I left the Compass of the Undines back at the castle when I fled." the mermaid princess groaned. "What am I going to do?"

Just then, a pod of bottlenose dolphins caught Lapis' attention. That was when she got an idea.

"Excuse me." the blue girl asked the passing dolphins. "I think you know the ocean better than most sea creatures. Can you show us the way to the kingdom of mermaids, please?"

The dolphins quietly conversed with one another until one young girl dolphin told Lapis, telepathically; "We can show you the way to the mermaid kingdom. Follow us."

The little dolphin and the rest of her pod motioned the mermaids and humans to swim to the east with them.

* * *

The amicable dolphins turned out to be a big help because in no time at all, Lapis and company were back in Iridesca again. At the castle, the group of twelve were at the locked door to the mermaid queen's throne room again. Lapis closed a hand on the pendent of her locket and stared timorously at the door before her.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Pearl asked, seeing how unstrung the young princess looked. "There's nothing wrong with having second thoughts."

"No, I wanna do this." Lapis answered, quickly. "I _have_ to do this."

The blue princess removed the locket from around her neck and embedded it into the door's keyhole. The locket emitted a golden light and the lock's tumblers turned, unlocking the door. Then, she withdrew her necklace from the keyhole and placed it around her neck again.

"It's time." said Lapis, quietly as she gripped the handles, gave the unlocked door a gentle push, and slowly swam into the throne room. She found it much more inviting and friendly than Malachite's throne room.

And sitting on the two thrones before her, were Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond live and in person. It was pretty daunting to be standing face-to-face with the two regal mermaids, but Lapis found even more overwhelming that they were also her biological family. The princess's ticker was going so fast, she thought she was going to have a heart attack.

"H-h-hello." she stuttered while quaking. "My name is... Lapis Lazuli, but... I have a feeling... you already know that."

The royal sisters exchanged looks from each other to the child before them.

"How did you get into the throne room?" Princess Pink Diamond asked. "You would need Queen Hope to in let you in by invitation with her magic to do that."

"Because I have the door's only key." answered the young, blue mermaid as she presented her seashell necklace. She opened the locket and it played the unforgettable lullaby that mermaid queen remembered singing to her child when she was a baby.

"It _is_ you!" she said tears filled her sister's eyes and her own.

Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond stood up from their thrones and rushed forward to give their long-lost child the warmest embrace ever. Lapis too was overflowing with tearful joy as she sank into her mother and aunt's hug.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hold you like this again." Queen Hope spoke happily to her daughter.

"And I never realized how much I've missed the warmth of a mother's hug until now." the younger princess replied.

Spying from behind the door, the other mermaids and humans beamed warmly at this heartwarming reunion. Most of the group was crying tears of joy.

"Lapis finally found her family." Jamie said, feeling so happy for his girlfriend.

"Let's give them a little alone time so they can catch up." Peridot suggested, everyone else agreeing.

"As long as she's with her mother and aunt, Lapis should be safe." Opal took comfort in.

Now that Lapis was reunited with her birth mother and aunt, the last thing she wanted was to be crowded immediately. And as Opal said, no harm would befall her that would have to get through the queen and her sister. So, everybody filed into the Grand Hall to wait for the blue princess.

However through one of the windows, the group of eleven was overshadowed by a foreboding penumbra. They all screamed in horror at the menacing invader and knew that they were in great danger.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Catching Up and Matching Up

After the three royal mermaids hugged each other for what seemed like a lifetime, they decided to sit down and talk about how Lapis had been faring.

"Just look at you." Queen Hope spoke, gazing upon her daughter. "It seems like it was just yesterday you were only a tiny baby being cradled in my arms. And now you're almost sixteen years old."

"Well, I didn't always fit in amongst humans, even though I had a human body." Lapis said. "My mermaid powers were very strong and hard to control before I became a mermaid again for the first time."

"I see." Princess Pink Diamond replied.

"But I didn't feel like a total outcast." the younger princess added. "I've had the love of my adopted family to nurture me. And I found true love out of my best friend, a human boy named Jamie."

The blue girl's cheeks blushed at the mention of her boyfriend's name.

"Speaking of love, I know this might be a dark topic to bring up; but I want to talk to you about Jasper." she advanced.

Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond looked shrinkingly at one another, but let their child carry on.

"I know that Jasper wanted to marry me, make me his queen, and shut me away from all contact with the rest of the world." Lapis continued. "Did it hurt you a little bit when you gave me away?"

"Of course." Queen Hope answered. "Letting you go was the hardest choice I had ever made. It was hard to imagine not being able to watch you grow up. But even though it broke my heart into a thousand pieces, I did it so that you could be loved and cared for like you were supposed to be.

"After that, we waited for over thirteen years until the day came when you would rediscover your background and find your way back home." Princess Pink Diamond added.

"And I did." the younger princess beamed. "You wouldn't believe what it took to get here. My friends and I battled sea monsters, escaped from pirates, we even went toe-to-toe with the fearful sea witches."

"Goodness!" Queen Hope exclaimed. "You were captured by the sea witches and you lived to tell the tale?"

"They were crushed under rubble when their lair collapsed." her daughter replied, frowning. "It might sound like I did a good deed for all mermaids, but I carry a heavy heart for how Jasper and his mother met their doom. If Malachite didn't have such a dangerous lust for power, she would still be alive, mermaid tail and all."

"Perhaps." said the mermaid queen. "But the important thing is, you're back home now. And now we can be a family again."

Just then, Lapis heard the sound of some of her mermaid friends screaming.

"What's going on out there?" she asked, stricken with alarm.

The three royal mermaids hurried outside to see what all the commotion was about. And right there, to the young princess's horror; was Jasper as alive as ever and he had all her friends trapped in a wrought iron cage.

"Hello, little princess." the masculine sea witch said sinisterly, his yellow eyes gleaming.

"I don't understand." said Lapis, baffled. "How did you survive? You and your mom were crushed under your crumbling lair."

"Oh no, my dear." Jasper remarked. "You see, my mother used her magic to send me far away from the wreak and only _she_ was pulverized to death. And now, your friends will pay handsomely for it."

"Jasper, I'm really sorry about what happened to your mom; but you have no right take your anger out on anyone." the blue girl tried to reason with her enemy, begging him to have mercy on her trapped loved ones.

"Oh, but I'm going to do just that." the sea witch stated. "Of course, I might consider sparing their lives, if you agree to be my queen."

"I'd rather be ensnared in a fishing net than be your queen." Lapis scoffed, refusing the malefactor's offer.

"Oh then, perhaps maybe the capture of someone else you care about will convince you otherwise." Jasper thought aloud.

"You know my mother is more than a match for your power." said the young mermaid princess.

"I wasn't talking about your mother." the masculine sea witch said back. When Lapis looked up, saw the bottom of the Mermaid's Cradle, and realized exactly who he was talking about, she gasped in fear, "Dad. No!"

"Gets you right where you live, doesn't it?" the sea witch asked, snickering wickedly.

"Don't you dare lay a tentacle on him, you monster!" the mermaid princess snapped. "I really don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to!"

"No, Lapis!" Queen Hope said, firmly grabbing her arm.

"Mom, I can't let Jasper attack my dad _or_ my friends." her daughter replied, pulling to free herself.

"I am _not_ going to lose you again." the mermaid queen argued, tearfully. "Jasper will defeat you in a heartbeat if you confront him alone."

"She won't _be_ alone." a familiar voice sounded off. Lapis glanced and saw Bismuth, Garnet, Ruby, Stevonnie, Rose Quartz, and Fluorite approaching.

"What are you all doing here?" she gasped in surprise.

"We're here to help." Fluorite simplified.

"Go free your friends." Garnet urged the young princess. "We'll hold Jasper off for as long as we can."

Lapis gave her a small smile and rushed to the cage that held her friends. Meanwhile, the mermaids that came to her aid used their magic to fight the sea witch. The blue girl destroyed the lock and opened the cage, freeing the trapped mermaids and humans.

"Lapis!" Steven beamed, giving his sister a nearly aggressive hug.

"The hugs will have to wait." said Lapis, gently prying her brother's grasp. "Right now, we've got a battle to win."

She and her mermaid friends accompanied the small army of mermaids to help combat Jasper. Even though they seemed to hold their ground, Jasper's dark magic began to overwhelm the cavalry. Pretty soon, only Lapis was left to confront the evil sea witch. The human kids who were being guarded by Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond, watched in horror.

"Oh no." said Steven with fear.

"Lapis!" Connie cried.

"Before I make you my bride, the first thing I'm going to do is drain the magic right out of you." Jasper snarled to the quivering princess.

Jamie, who couldn't stand to watch the horror that would soon be brought down upon his girlfriend, swam forth to join Lapis' side.

"Jamie, what are you doing?" the blue princess questioned as the teenage boy protectively wrapped his arms around her.

"Keeping you from getting hurt." he answered, determinedly.

"But if Jasper hits you with his magic, _you_ will get hurt." the young mermaid argued. "And if I don't protect you, we'll lose you forever." Jamie protested. "_I'll_ lose you forever. I couldn't bear to have you be forced into being Jasper's queen while having a ball and chain around your tail. You deserve freedom _and_ love."

Lapis made switched glances from her mermaid friends, her true love, and Jasper; who was preparing a dreadful attack.

"Jamie, you are the absolute best boyfriend I could ever ask for." she said, her eyes full of tears. "I love you so much."

The two lovers pushed themselves into a powerful kiss, causing the princess's locket and her body to glow violently. It repelled Jasper's attacks and got the attention of the princess's mermaid friends.

Silently getting an idea, Garnet transferred her magic to the blue girl. The other mermaids were confused at first until they saw Lapis grow stronger in power. Soon, the other mermaids transferred their magic to her as well.

The young girl became very aware of what was happening and pulled away from the kiss. She was about to take off her locket, but then hesitated. That was when she felt Jamie put his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. The contact not only made the princess feel stronger, but it also boosted her courage, allowing her to proceed with removing her locket from around her neck.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jasper asked, unaware of what was happening.

Lapis held her necklace high over her head and focused all her energy on releasing the power at the male sea witch.

"No." he said, knowing what was about to occur.

A great burst of magic was cast from the birth locket, right at the wicked sea witch.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he felt his body disintegrating until he could no longer sustain a physical form.

Soon, Jasper's body looked no more like a cloud of octopus ink and was cast out into the distance.

Once the blast of light died down, Lapis lowered her locket in a drained state. She had exerted so much strength in that final attack, she felt totally depleted.

"Lapis, are you alright?" Jamie asked, feeling troubled for his girlfriend.

The blue mermaid nodded and said sleepily, "I was wrong about you, Jamie. You do... have a magic... inside of you..."

She felt herself swooning and sank gently onto the seafloor.

Everyone quickly rushed and gathered around the exhausted girl and she only saw their anxious faces for a few seconds before she blacked out.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Wishes Coming True

_Lapis' unconscious mind was lost in a comforting, gray void. She was in a dreamless slumber and then, she felt herself being hugged by a soothing warmth. She didn't want the warmth to leave her. Instead, she wanted to stay in this peaceful sleep forever._

Meanwhile in the waking world, the princess's sleeping body was snuggly tucked in a bed that seemed to hug her while her head rested on a spongy pillow. Her friends and family surrounded Lapis as she continued to doze, sharing looks of concern.

_Back in Lapis' subconscious, the young mermaid could hear faint voices in her head._

_"It's been ten hours." said Peridot, impatiently._

_"What if she doesn't wake up?" Rhodonite asked, worriedly._

_"She_ will _wake up." Steven reassured her._

_"Well, she sure is taking her sweet time about it." Amethyst complained._

_Suddenly, she felt a familiar warmth like she was being held in someone's arms. And then, there was an exciting sensation on her forehead that coursed through the rest of her body like someone had kissed her._

She giggled, stirred, and opened her eyes. Her vision was a little foggy at first, but it cleared up in a short amount of time as she yawned.

"Jamie?" Lapis spoke tiredly, seeing that she was in the arms of her boyfriend.

Then, she saw the face of Queen Hope and reached out her hand to which the queen gently took hold of.

"Mom?" the young mermaid princess said, smiling. "I almost thought reuniting with you was just a dream."

"It's alright, sweetheart." her mother assured her. "I'm here. Everybody is here."

"You wore yourself out so badly, we thought you wouldn't awaken for days." said Sapphire.

Upon remembering the battle between the sea witch that threatened her freedom, Lapis gasped and asked, "Wait, does that mean Jasper's really gone for good?"

"Not exactly." Princess Pink Diamond answered solemnly. "I'm afraid that there is a chance that he may rear his ugly head again in the not-too-distant future."

"But I don't understand." the younger princess spoke. "How did I defeat him? Jasper was at the ready to attack me and then, he couldn't touch me. It was like when I was in the sea witch's lair. Jasper had a firm grip on my tail, but then he ended up burning himself. And that happened after... Jamie. I was protected by his love."

"That's right." Queen Hope smiled. "Your magic was strengthened when you manifested your strongest emotion: love."

Lapis placed a hand over her heart where her birth locket was and knew that she also got love the other mermaids around her because she gave love to them to begin with.

"Now that you're wide awake, we have something we want to show you." Stevonnie said excitedly as everyone filed out of the bedroom.

Jamie had covered his girlfriend's eyes so that she couldn't sneak a peek. Sapphire and Padparadscha each took one of the princess's hands to guide her and make sure she didn't slam into any walls as she went. Soon, Lapis felt herself swim into a big room, but because her eyes were still covered, she didn't know what room she was in.

And then, Jamie removed his hands from his girlfriend's eyes and everybody in the throne room exclaimed, "Surprise!"

Lapis was completely caught off guard. She saw that the throne room was decorated colorful balloon-like bubbles and streamers. There was a table of food including a blue birthday cake and a stack of presents on the side.

"Happy Birthday, Lapis!" Steven and Connie chorused, beaming.

"Oh my gosh!" the mermaid princess said while laughing surprisingly. "I've been so busy with the quest to reunite with my mother that I completely forgot about my own birthday."

"There's my little birthday princess." a familiar voice said and she turned to find her dad actually underwater with her.

"Dad!" she cried rushing into her adopted father's embrace.

"Happy Birthday!" he smiled as he held his daughter with joy.

"How are you here?" she asked breathlessly as she laughed.

"Your mermaid friends gave me a special bubble that allows me to breathe and talk underwater." explained Greg. "There's also magic protecting the food and presents from the water."

"Oh, before we get the party going; there's somebody I'd like to meet officially." the blue girl said, bringing her dad over to the mermaid queen and older princess. "Dad, this is my birth mother, Queen Hope and my aunt, Princess Pink Diamond. Mom, Auntie; this is my adopted father, Greg Universe."

"It's wonderful to actually meet you." Greg said as he shook hands with Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond.

"Likewise." the mermaid queen replied, her sister nodding in agreement.

Lapis smiled, knowing that she was very fortunate to have both her biological family and her adopted family in one place on the most important day of her life.

"Lapis." Pink Diamond said to her niece. "Your mom and I want to give you a special present. You were waiting to give it to you on the day you came back home."

The older princess revealed something that she was hiding behind her back. It was a crown that was similar to the ones that she and her sister were wearing. However unlike the other crowns, this one had a piece of blue sea glass that was smoothed into the shape of a heart.

"I actually get a crown like you?" Lapis questioned in amazement.

"It was meant to be yours." her mother nodded. "Put it on."

The blue girl took the crown from her aunt's hands and placed it on her forehead. The moment she did, streams of sparkles eminated from the tiara and swirled around her body. This caused Lapis' appearance to change.

There were now three rows of beads surrounding her hair. Her top was now a darker shade of blue and strapless, held by a length of small seashells and little jewels. The blue mermaid also had a thin gold band wrapped around her upper arms and a billowing blue gown that descended from her tail, which was more glittery than ever. Most of the princess's birth locket was studded with pearlescent rhinestones.

Everyone gazed upon Lapis' new apparel in splendor as she studied her new look.

"Wow!" Steven gasped, his eyes shining. "You _really_ look like a princess now, Lapis."

"Yeah, the royal look totally suits you." agreed Amethyst.

"This is might take some getting used to." Lapis said, feeling slightly self-conscious and blushing.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ruby asked, impatiently. "Let's get this party started!" Everybody cheered in response.

The blue princess had made her birthday wish when the cake was presented and opened all her presents. While the humans had gifts ready awhile ago, the mermaids' presents were a little last-minute; but they were still great. From makeup and care products to clothes and accessories, you'd think Lapis was pretty spoiled right now, but she almost felt overwhelmed by how many gifts she was being showered with.

A little later, everyone was enjoying the party, eating snacks and mingling. Lapis made small talk with the party guests, but she remained mostly quiet during some of her party.

Jamie took notice of the birthday girl's unusually quiet behavior and decided to take action. Hearing the music change to a slow, romantic song, he got an idea.

He approached his girlfriend, cleared his throat, held out his hand, and asked in a well-mannered tone, "Dear princess, may I have the honor of having this dance?"

"Why, I would be delighted to share this dance with you, kind sir." Lapis responded, trying to sound as high and mighty as she could as she took the boy's hand. They both giggled when they met eye contact.

The party guests made some room on the dance floor for the two lovers. They started to waltz in time to the heartfelt accords that echoed through the throne room. Lapis and Jamie swayed, swirled, spun, and dipped in a dreamy state; all while not leaving each other's loving stare. In that moment, nothing was stopping the teenage human from giving his princess a deep, passionate kiss and the blue girl just melted into it. Everyone in the throne room applauded happily for the beautiful couple.

Some time had passed and Lapis was getting some fruit punch, blissfully unaware that Queen Hope, Princess Pink Diamond, and Greg were quietly conversing with each other. But then, the young princess overheard something that got her attention.

"This is not going to be easy." her mother spoke softly.

"Well, we shouldn't have to force her to make a such big choice." Greg insisted. "I mean she's just a kid."

"Yes, but we can't all be together under one roof." Pink Diamond argued in a whisper. "You've got your own lives in your own world, and Hope and I have a kingdom to look after. Lapis just can't be with both families at the same time. She's going to _have_ to decide."

Lapis couldn't believe her ears. What did her aunt mean she couldn't live with both families at the same time?

"Wait a minute." the younger princess said, angrily. "Nobody told me I'd have to decide which family I'm going to stay with. Do you know how difficult of a decision that is for me to make?"

Connie and Steven both gasped fearfully upon hearing that Lapis might have to say goodbye to her adopted family.

"Lapis." Queen Hope said, trying to get her daughter to calm down; but it wasn't working.

"How could you guys just talk about this behind my back?" the blue girl asked loudly, her eyes overflowing with hot tears. "I mean, a little heads up would've been nice!"

Doubled over in a mixture of anger and sorrow, the princess swam out of the throne room, crying.

"Lapis, wait!" Greg called out, but his adopted daughter ignored his voice completely.

No one knew how to calm the saddened princess, but Jamie knew how and he quickly swam after his weeping girlfriend in hopes that he could enliven the young mermaid.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Best of Both Worlds

Princess Lapis had retreat to the seclusion of her bedroom and cried in her bed. She sank a little into the squishy mattress, but it didn't bother her at all. In fact, she wished she could sink deeper into her bed so that she could hidden away for the rest of the day to cry herself to sleep.

"Lapis?" Jamie's voice echoed from the hallways. "Lapis. I know you're in there. Can I come in?"

The young mermaid only made a muffled whimper in response to her boyfriend's voice. The human boy opened the door and let himself into the princess's bedroom. He saw her body lying face down and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"Do you wanna talk about what's going on, sweetie?" asked Jamie, ready to listen for his beautiful girlfriend pour her heart out.

Unfortunately, Lapis was in no mood to talk to anyone right now, even if it was her kind boyfriend. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, he would go away, which didn't seem too hard at this point; what with her comfy bed and her dehydrated headache from crying. The blue girl took the deep breaths you'd hear when someone was softly snoring and hoped Jamie would buy it.

However, he wasn't as gullible as Lapis was hoping he'd be. He was not going to give up that easily. And then, a mischievous smile spread across his face as he hatched an idea.

"Uh oh." he said, loud enough for the sad mermaid to hear. "I think some Ticker's Snare might have fallen on you, Lapis."

Lapis was unresponsive, but then Jamie told her, "Yeah, it looks like there's some in your elbow." He then used his finger to tickle in the crook of her left elbow. This prompted the princess to break out in soft giggles, but she still didn't move.

"Oh no!" her boyfriend said, pretending to be surprised. "Now I see some on the sides of your neck!" His fingers started to spider tickle the sides of Lapis' slender neck and she really busted out laughing this time.

"Knock it off!" she complained between laughs. "Hahahahaha!"

"Hmm, I hope some didn't get in your armpits!" Jamie spoke as he proceeded to dig his fingers into the mermaid's smooth underarms. "Tickle, tickle, tickle."

"No, no, no! Hahahahahaha!" she pleaded as she squirmed. "Jamie, please stop! That tickles so bad!" The mermaid princess's laughter was like music to her boyfriend's ears.

"Oh, my mistake." he stated calmly, before striking the unfortunate victim with tickles once again. "It's on your back!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the poor mermaid screamed with laughter. "OH NO! IT TICKLES SO MUCH!" That did the trick because Lapis was now rolling over until her laughing face was facing Jamie. The tickling stopped when the girl rolled over, giving her the opportunity to catch her breath.

"Now there's the face I like to see." her boyfriend smiled. And then, he climbed up on the spongy mattress until his body was hovering over the princess. "But just to be safe, I better check for seaweed on your belly."

"No." Lapis said as the boy's tickly fingers descended towards the mermaid's bare stomach ever so slowly. "No, no, no, no. Don't you dare!"

"You can't run from this, Lapis." Jamie told her in a playful, singsong tone. "It's going to get you."

"I mean it, Jamie." the mermaid demanded as the anticipation got thinner. "You better not- Hahahahahahahahaha!"

But it was too late. The human's fingers were already spider tickling all over the princess's tummy. It was her weakest tickle spot. She knew this from experience when her dad and brother tickle attacked her as a kid.

"Aw, does that tickle?" Jamie asked teasingly as went for the sides of Lapis' tummy. "Well, this is the only way I can get the Tickler's Snare off of you. Coochie coochie coo."

Lapis remembered how her dad would always baby talk her while he tickled her. And it sent her over the edge now as it did way back then.

"Hahahahaha! It tickles all over!" she laughed uncontrollably. "Hahahahahahahaha! Okay, okay, okay, okay; I'm clean! You're going make me pass out!"

Jamie finally heeded the princess's words and stopped the tickling altogether. He moved until he lay on the opposite side of Lapis' bed. His girlfriend took some time to recover, shivering from the tickles.

"You know, I actually feel a little better." she panted and giggled after turning to look the human boy in the eyes.

"Good." said Jamie, kissing her nose. "That was the idea."

Just then, the two of them heard a knock on the other side of the door and Steven's voice saying, "Lapis, can we come in?"

"We want to check on you and make sure you're okay." Connie's voice added.

"Sure, come on in." Lapis answered as she and Jamie sat up in the bed. The door opened and Steven, Connie, Greg entered.

"Hey, kiddo." Greg said nervously before he gave a heavy sigh. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. We should've pulled you aside, sat you down, and talked about this with you. Don't be too angry."

"I'm not angry." Lapis told her father. "I just never thought if I stayed with my birth family, I'd have to let my adopted family go; or the other way around."

"I can only imagine how upsetting that must be." Connie replied.

"It really hurts because I know that no matter which family I choose, I'll end up breaking somebody's heart." the mermaid princess vented, her voice cracking as she started crying a little. "And I don't want to say goodbye to anyone."

Jamie wrapped his arms around her and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I know you're really scared about this and we're scared too." Greg told her adopted daughter. "But, we will stand by you in whatever choice you end up making."

Suddenly, a light bulb went on in Lapis' head as she announced, "Then, I choose to make equal time with both my families so that I _can_ be with both my families. Starting with Mom, I'll spend three months here in Iridesca and then I'll spend the three months after that in Beach City with you guys."

"I guess we could make it work." her adopted dad stated.

"Great." the blue mermaid beamed. "Let's go let Mom in on the plan. After all, the party's not over yet."

So after discussing everything with Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond, everyone agreed with the idea to let Lapis live with each of her two families for an equal time. Although Queen Hope felt guilty about taking her daughter away from her adopted family, the young princess assured her that she wouldn't be apart from them forever. Pretty soon, it was getting late and it was time for the humans to say goodbye.

* * *

"Thank you for taking care of our dear child." Queen Hope said to Greg.

"Don't mention it." the kind human replied. "She's always been like family to me. I just can't believe that she grew from a tiny baby to a strong, young mermaid. But, she will always be my little girl."

Lapis felt like she was on the verge of tears again as she swam into her dad's embrace. Connie and Steven joined in and formed a group hug.

"Love you, sweetie." Greg told the mermaid.

"I love you too, Daddy." she replied, softly.

"We're really going to miss you, Lapis." Connie said.

"Yeah, come back soon." Steven requested to his big sister. "Okay?"

"I promise." Lapis assured him. The group hug disbanded and the young princess made her way over to Jamie.

"You know, among everyone else; I wouldn't be where or _who_ I am today without you." she told her boyfriend. "When you freed me from Malachite's love potion, it made me absolutely sure that I want _you_ to be my groom when I get married."

"Really?" he questioned.

"Of course." Lapis answered. "I always wanted it to be you. But, I'd like to wait a while until I'm ready to be proposed to."

"Well when the time is right, I'll be waiting for you with an engagement ring in tow." the human boy promised.

"Oh, before you go; I want to give you something." the blue princess said, showing her boyfriend a cockle shell bracelet with a small mermaid charm. "This bracelet is enthused with mermaid magic so that you can talk and breathe underwater without the mermaids' bubbles. It will also allow you to visit me. All you have to do is wish for the person you want to be with the most, and the bracelet will take you to her location (not to mention get you back home really fast)."

"Wow, this is amazing." Jamie commented, taking the bracelet and putting it on.

"I've got a matching one too so I can get to Beach City without swimming a great stretch of ocean." the young mermaid added, pointing to an identical bracelet she wore around her wrist.

"Thank you." her boyfriend said. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"I was never a fan of goodbyes." Lapis conveyed. "Maybe we could just say, 'See you later.'"

"That sounds much better." Jamie nodded. "Lapis, I love you."

"And I love _you_." the princess replied as the two of them shared an deep, emotional kiss before the humans swam up to the surface to get on the Mermaid's Cradle.

Lapis and the other mermaids poked their heads out of the water's surface and waved goodbye to the ship before it disappeared in a puff of magic. As sad as the blue princess was, she was even more tired from the long day she had. Queen Hope and her sister helped guide a sleepy Lapis and the other mermaids back underwater so that they could turn in for the night.

* * *

A couple of days later, Lapis was moping over her separation from her true love. Being without Jamie for more than a day was a strange time. She silently wished for him to be by her side.

Just then, an approaching speck in the distance caught her eye. As the speck drew closer, it began to take on a familiar shape. The princess swam forward, hoping this was what she thought it was. And to her happiness, Jamie was back in the ocean with his magic bracelet. Completely overjoyed, Lapis swam into the boy's arms; almost knocking the breath out of him.

"I thought I wasn't going to see you for a long time." she said. The two lovers looked into each other's eyes and locked their lips into a sweet kiss.

This gave the blue girl some assurance that whether she had legs or a tail, and lived in the sea or on land; nothing could break her apart from her boyfriend. She and her love for Jamie had the best of both worlds.


End file.
